


when i was king

by aizensosuke



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Banter, Character Death, Developing Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Good Demons, Healing, Injury Recovery, Kings & Queens, M/M, On-Again/Off-Again Relationship, Past Abuse, Royalty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2019-10-24 11:09:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 80,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17703248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aizensosuke/pseuds/aizensosuke
Summary: aizen sosuke expected to spend the rest of his natural life suffering at the hands of the man who was supposed to care for him and watching his son wilt into something dark and twisted. when a demon lord with blood red eyes named mugetsu kills the king and takes over the kingdom, sosuke finds that the enemy of his enemy may be more than his friend.but his husband was guarding something dark in the north and what should be a chance to recover from his past and perhaps find some hope in his future becomes a struggle to protect his son, his best friend, and the man who might have truly earned his heart.





	1. Chapter 1

When Aizen Sosuke opens his eyes, he is not immediately sure what has awoken him from his slumber. Waking in the middle of the night is hardly abnormal for him; he is used to the sensation of his husband’s hands guiding his body into a more acceptable position, the whisper of the comforter sliding against bare skin. He knows all of the signs of their impending union that he knows immediately that Yhwach is not in the room, his heavy weight missing from the side of the bed he usually occupies. To reassure himself this is true, Sosuke stretches out a hand, stroking his hand over the absent space, over smooth cool sheets, the silk slick against his grasping fingers.

He sits up slowly in bed, his eyes picking out each shadowy corner of the room to ensure there is no assassin hiding, preparing to subdue him and end his life in one brutal, quick thrust of a blade. Perhaps a sharp edge pressed against his throat, sharpened so that it glides through his skin as easily as butter. There is nothing. There is no one.

His eyes drift across the room and he finally convinces himself to step out of bed, the cool air licking at his naked skin and drawing a shiver from his body that has him grasping for his robe. The fabric is thin and transparent, designed to hide little from the eye and more of a temptation for his husband than anything of use to him. At this time of night though, it is all he has and he draws it tight around his body, tying the sash around his waist as he pads across the thick, plush carpet to the glass doors leading out onto his balcony.

Though the palace feels more like a prison than a home, and has for the entirety of his marriage, Sosuke is able to grasp for peace when he steps out onto the balcony. The moon hangs heavy and fat in the sky, a silver splash against the velvety darkness of the sky, but it does not remain clear for long. Curls of smoke, thick and pale, drift toward the stars like trembling, grasping fingers. Below, there is a familiar red glow that makes Sosuke’s heart race faster. As slowly and carefully as possible, he creeps toward the edge of the balcony, sinking to his knees so he can peer between the bars of the railing.

Below him, there is nothing but fire and the slash of sword against sword, the maniacal laughter and cries of creatures that cannot possibly be human.

_ Did they finally come? _ He narrows his eyes, trying to make out definite shapes in the smoke and the flames, cursing Yhwach and the grand nature of this palace.

“So you have made yourself seen at last, Queen.” The voice is deep and stoic and so smooth, bearing no inflection of emotion. “My king will be happy to hear this news.”

Sosuke’s head whips behind him, searching for the source of the noise; his heart lodges in his throat a moment later and steals his breath away, saving him the indignity of screaming. The roof of the palace ends behind the balcony and a slender figure has taken to sitting upon the surface, skin as white as that of a corpse, large black wings blotting out the sky behind him. His green eyes glow with an inhuman light; it feels like being caught in the gaze of a predator who could kill him with a single blow, and Sosuke thinks dully that of course it should feel like that.

No human has ever stared a demon down and lived to tell the tale.

Before he can move, the demon man stands, his long black hair lifting in the light breeze as he settles a hand on the sword hilt at his hip. “I have orders to bring you to—”

Sosuke does not wait for him to finish speaking. Instead, he throws himself back into his bedroom, locking the balcony doors and making a beeline for the hallway beyond his room.

The glass shatters behind him but he hardly slows enough to turn, to see if the creature is stalking him through his own home. Instead, he throws himself out into the hallway, bare feet sliding against the smooth stone flooring as he runs down its length. He can hear screams in the distance, humans fighting and dying while the demons roar with laughter and continue their assault on the kingdom.

_ It was only a matter of time, _ Sosuke thinks, throwing himself at his son’s bedroom door.  _ This is what happens when you try to invade their territory, husband! _

The door opens easily under the weight of his body, but the room itself is dark and Sosuke’s heart hammers against his ribs when he realizes the bedsheets are mussed, the comforter half-hanging onto the floor, but the mattress itself is empty. When a choked noise of panic and pain bubbles up his throat, he slams a hand over his own mouth and heads back into the hallway, throwing himself down its length once more.

Some doors are ripped off of their hinges. Blood is splattered on the walls and the floor, thick crimson pools that he steps around as carefully as possible because he knows he will fall, and that winged beast will find him. He cannot hear footsteps but he can imagine the demon gliding just behind him, waiting for an opening, playing with him as a cat plays with a mouth before ripping its entrails out and consuming it.

The throne room is the only place his mind can seize upon and so he sets himself in that direction, a quiet shriek leaving his throat when he sees the bodies of several guards lining the path. Some of them have been dealt killing blows from swords, clean and neat cuts suggesting the blades used to do the deed were sharp. Others appear to have their throats ripped out, and Sosuke gags at the stench of blood and death.

When he finally stumbles into the throne room, trembling and sick, the scene he finds takes his knees out from under him. He lands in an ungraceful heap on the floor.

His marriage to Yhwach had been for political reasons only, and though the man often saw him as at least a treasured possession, Sosuke dreamed of escaping the palace and living in seclusion in the hills where no one could find him. He would have been willing to give up the wealth of a royal life if it meant escaping this marriage with his son tucked beneath his arm, but Yhwach would never allow such a thing. Even when he was gone for important meetings with other rulers, Sosuke was carefully watched over to ensure he remained.

Now, Yhwach kneels upon the floor, blood dripping from several deep wounds, head tilted back as the point of a long black blade hovers against the front of his throat.

_ How could this have happened? _ Sosuke has seen this man fight. He knows what a fierce beast Yhwach is in battle, and yet he has been brought to his knees by an invader.

“You have lost, Yhwach.” The man holding the sword inclines his head; Sosuke cannot see his face, hidden behind the heavy and thick fall of his long black hair. “Goodbye.”

Sosuke’s mouth falls open and the blade thrusts forward; his husband’s words are lost on a wet gurgle, blood gushing down his chin and the front of his chest, his throat bisected by the black demon blade. An anguished cry on the other side of the room has his gaze moving; Jugram Haschwalth has been brought to his knees as well, his pristine white uniform stained with blood, his hair a disheveled mess and his green eyes burning with anguish. His hand, outstretched toward the king he has followed for years, falls.

The blade is ripped from Yhwach’s throat and the man falls backward, smacking against the cold floor a moment later. Blood pools around him and Sosuke stares at the sight, his hands braced on the cold floor, his mind refusing to put these pieces together. How many years did he dream someone would come along and kill this man, freeing him from this prison once and for all? Seeing it happen in front of him seems like a dream.

A hand curls around his shoulder and he freezes when he feels the pointed tips of slender fingers digging into his skin. “I would ask that you remain still now, Queen.”

The voice; Sosuke tilts his head and he can see the winged demon from before, his sword still in place at his hip, his fingers as black as ink as they rest on Sosuke’s shoulder. His eyes are no less dull in the light here. “Of course.”

“Very good,” the demon praises, and Sosuke tries to ignore the bile that rises in his throat.

Blood drips from the tip of the black blade and Sosuke follows the entirety of its wide and heavy length up the hilt, toward the hand gripping it firmly. Something grey is wrapped around the strong fingers, along the wrist and forearm and shoulder, spilling across the broad and strong chest and gripping so tightly that Sosuke can see the visible shape of muscle beneath the fabric. The other arm is bare, but there is ink there, etched into the skin and blacker than anything Sosuke has ever used on parchment.

The grey wrapping covers half of the man’s face, but when he turns his gaze toward Sosuke, crimson eyes burn bright. Slowly, he lifts his tattooed hand, dragging the fabric downward so that Sosuke can see the firm line of his jaw and chin.

“So you found him after all, Ulquiorra.” The man’s voice is deep and it makes Sosuke’s skin break out in goosebumps beneath the thin fabric of his robe.

“He was in bed, so I merely waited until he chose to awaken and come outside to see the source of all the noise.” The winged man shifts forward; Sosuke can feel the faint pressure of a knee between his shoulder blades. “He will not run, Mugetsu.”

_ Mugetsu. _ The name sends a thrill of terror through Sosuke’s entire body and he tries not to show it on his face, his lips pressed together into a thin line as he stares down at the floor, the blood, the dead body of his former husband.

The demon lord of the north sheathes his blade— a blade said to be monstrous, to be violent and to devour the blood of its felled enemies and grow ever stronger— and walks toward them. Every step forward, every echo of his boots against the floor, sends a new bolt of fear through Sosuke’s body. He has faced countless threats in his lifetime, and yet he finds himself quaking, caught between two monsters that Yhwach heralded himself when he chose to invade their lands, trying to conquer them.

“Did you find the child?” Mugetsu asks, and Sosuke’s head whips up at the mention of a child. His son. The only person worth living in this hell palace for the sake of.

The winged beast— Ulquiorra— sighs softly. “I did not, but I thought the queen would be the priority as long as he lived. I sent Shiro to search for him instead.

“And you specified that I wanted the boy brought to me alive?” Mugetsu demands.

“I did,” Ulquiorra says. “I am well aware of what Shiro is capable of it not given explicit directions. He was told to locate the child, to subdue him, not to injure him, and to bring him to the throne room and to you as quickly as he could.”

“Excellent work. You are very dependable, Ulquiorra. You may release the queen.” And then Mugetsu kneels, and Sosuke is frozen between him and Ulquiorra.

As a child, Sosuke heard the same tales that the crones in the villages below their kingdom still spread to this day. Legends and folktales about the demon people, about winged demons and animal-like demons, about demons so fierce that their very presence could rip the sun from the sky and fill the air with darkness. Mugetsu was, perhaps, a tale best told in whispers, in dark rooms lit only by faint candlelight.

Mugetsu was spoken of as a warrior wreathed in black flames, a vicious monster with blood-filled eyes whose sword was a living being, always hungering for flesh and death and blood. He could fell entire human armies with his own strength alone and no one could harm him; swords broken upon his flesh and arrows bounced off of him. Spearheads shattered. Shields crumpled. And now he crouches in front of Sosuke, the heat radiating off of him the only thing chasing away from the numb cold biting into Sosuke’s flesh.

“You did not fight. I’m glad. It would have been unfortunate had something happened to you.” His ink-stained hand rises, cupping Sosuke’s chin, forcing him to raise his head. “I hope your son is wise enough not to resist. Shiro is not a patient man.”

Sosuke almost laughs. The only child born of his union with Yhwach was soft-hearted, a scholar instead of a warrior, fearing the battlefield and blood and refusing to hold a sword no matter how many promises were made to him by his father. The pregnancy had been difficult and the birthing almost ended in Sosuke’s death, and he suspects that his womb must have suffered permanent damage so that no other children were ever born. Just one small rebellion, one he could not even  _ help _ as he was not a healer.

He only sits still on the floor, his body trembling before this powerful creature, and wonders if his death will be swift if he chooses not to resist.

“Your skin is cold.” Mugetsu’s hand slips from his chin, dark fingers brushing along his chest for a moment before he stands abruptly and walks away.

Sosuke’s head falls and he breathes in as slowly as he can, his head bowed as he stares down at his hands, his thighs. The robe is doubly transparent in the bright torchlight of the throne room; he might as well have come to this demon lord in nothing but his bare skin and heat crawls along his flesh at the thought. Does a lord not take his spoils of war when he wins a battle? Will Mugetsu claim  _ him _ for conquering this kingdom?

“Here we are.” Dark boots step into his line of vision once more and when Sosuke lifts his head, his vision is momentarily darkened. Fabric whips through the air and he tenses until something lands soft and heavy against his back. A cloak that Mugetsu kneels with, folding the edges of it over Sosuke’s body. “You look as though you will collapse on me soon.”

When Sosuke opens his mouth to respond, nothing comes out but a faint, helpless sound.

“Poor thing.” Mugetsu shifts forward and fear lances through Sosuke’s entire body.

Demons have superior physical strength; Mugetsu manhandles Sosuke into his arms without much effort, standing with Sosuke cradled against his chest a moment later like a groom carrying his bride across the threshold. The floor seems suddenly too far away and Sosuke feels faint, like he may indeed lose consciousness soon.

He does not. Mugetsu carries him toward the thrones, stepping around the growing pool of blood around Yhwach’s prone body, depositing Sosuke in his former husband’s seat instead of the second throne, the one meant for the consort of the king.

“Remain here.” Mugetsu’s hand is firm on his shoulder, pressing him back into the chair. “Do not move. I do not want to have to hunt you out of this building once more.”

“How  _ dare _ you lay hands on my queen?” Haschwalth snarls, but his voice is weak and he wavers on his knees, as though the loss of blood is finally getting to him.

The demon at his back— impossibly small and delicate looking— giggles, pressing a hand to his mouth. Or what may be a hand, hidden beneath his overly long sleeve. “There may be some fight in you yet, human. Do you want to fight with me again?”

“We did what we came here to do, Luppi,” Mugetsu says sternly. “Do not touch him.”

Luppi sighs and stretches a hand out, combing his fingers through the mess of Haschwalth’s long, golden hair. “Too bad, darling. Maybe some other time.”

“Be silent, Haschwalth.” Sosuke finally finds his voice. “Do not antagonize them.”

Mugetsu’s eyes meet Sosuke’s briefly and he thinks he sees a shadow of a smile on the demon’s voice before his head turns toward the doors once more, where Ulquiorra still stands, his black wings folded against the slender stretch of his back.

A moment later, another demon steps into the room and Sosuke stands at the sight of him, startled when Mugetsu’s hand smacks into his shoulder once more, forcing him back into his seat. But his eyes are fixed on the doors, on the white-skinned demon with Sosuke’s son thrown over his shoulder like a ragdoll.

“Found the prince,” the demon announces. “Took off on me and I had to chase him down. Clever, hid a whole bunch of places I didn’t look. But I finally caught him.”

Mugetsu’s voice is frigid. “Did you injure him? Is that why he is unconscious?”

“Of course I didn’t. Ulquiorra told me you’d rip me to pieces if I did that on my own accord. He just fainted once I finally caught up with him.” The demon leans around Mugetsu, his inhuman eyes— golden irises, black sclera— widening slightly. “Well, well, that explains where the prince got his pretty face and body from.”

“He looks like his father,” Sosuke snaps, not keen on playing games with this beast.

The demon’s eyes drop to Yhwach’s corpse and he cackles, the sound of his laughter raising the hairs on the back of Sosuke’s neck considerably. “Well, well, ain’t that funny? Didn’t think a brute like that could make a prince as pretty as this one.”

“You are intentionally attempting to upset the queen, Shiro. I cautioned you against this.” Mugetsu strides forward. “Give me the prince, and I’ll take him to his living father.”

Shiro sighs and relents, and the moment Mugetsu sets his son in his arms, Sosuke wraps himself around him, pressing his face against that soft chestnut hair. When Tensa had been born, Sosuke had a reason to survive this hellish existence. His son needed him, not the nursemaids who tripped over themselves to care for him, and so Sosuke survived the labor that nearly killed him and spent his recovery with Tensa cradled lovingly in his arms, promising his son that he would do anything to ensure his life would be a long and happy one. Luckily, he seemed to have been saved the numerous health problems his own father suffered at birth, and he looked at Sosuke with the stars in his eyes.

He drapes part of Mugetsu’s cloak over Tensa’s frame, pleased at least that the boy’s sleeping wear has kept his body hidden from view. But Tensa’s ashen expression and closed eyes worry him, and he wraps himself tighter around his son.

“The queen is on her way,” Ulquiorra says softly. “I suppose we should gather here and wait for her, my lord? The corpse makes an excellent decoration.”

“We should gather.” Mugetsu claps a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Gather the others.”

Shiro grins up at him and then disappears back through the doorway, and Sosuke cringes when he screeches and cackles, inhuman noises that could not possibly make sense in any form of language. Ulquiorra steps delicately over Yhwach’s corpse, his wings giving him just the edge he needs to avoid the blood all together, landing on black-clawed feet and turning to face the doorway. No sooner does he before a much larger demon lopes into the room, long blue hair wild with battle, azure eyes blazing. He meets Ulquiorra’s gaze and  _ leaps, _ and Ulquiorra impossibly catches him, able to bear the demon’s much larger weight.

“Quiorra, I’ve killed like two dozen men tonight. I missed what it felt like to fight.” The demon leans forward, his long pink tongue lapping up the side of Ulquiorra’s face. “You taste like conquest. When Halibel leaves, fuck me until I can’t move anymore.”

Ulquiorra nods his head once. “Of course, Grimmjow. When Halibel-sama leaves, I shall.”

Sosuke tucks his face into Tensa’s hair and waits for the demon queen to arrive.

More demons spill into the room, all shapes and sizes, all of them with blood-stained uniforms and wild, almost glowing eyes. Sosuke cringes at the sight of all of them, feeling like a small mouse trapped in a room with over a dozen hungry cats, and soothes his fingers through his son’s hair. When Tensa shifts in his arms, he tightens his grip on the boy.

“Father?” Tensa’s eyes take time to open, soft flutters of dark lashes before pale blue eyes stare up into Sosuke’s own. “Father, I saw a— Oh. Oh, there’s so many of them.”

Panic lights his son’s face and Sosuke nods, pressing his lips to the boy’s forehead. “I know, my love. They have killed your father. There is nothing we can do but wait for their queen.”

Tensa whimpers and presses closer to him, and Sosuke lets the boy cling to him, his eyes fixed on the doorway. Shiro steps back through a moment later, seemingly pleased with himself; his gaze moves to Tensa and turns hungry and Sosuke tightens his grip on his child, unwilling to let him become the prey of such an animal. Of course, should these creatures decide to collect their spoils for winning, Sosuke will be powerless to do anything, and from the expression in the creature’s eyes, he  _ wants. _

The room is hushed a moment later and Sosuke picks up on the sound of boots clicking against the marble flooring, echoing down the now-still hallways. He feels tension twist in his gut and Tensa makes a small, helpless noise against his throat and clings tighter.

“You should feel privileged, mortals,” Ulquiorra says smoothly. “Our queen has come.”

There have been tales of the queen of all demons, Tier Halibel, whose beauty is so fierce it could put the moon to shame, whose power can influence the tides and the entire heavy weight of the ocean. Sosuke himself has doubted her existence, since all tales have sounded so fanciful to him, but when she steps into the room, flanked by a quartet of bodyguards, his heart stops in his chest, his eyes widening impossibly at the sight.

Tier Halibel stands tall and strong in the doorway, her body free of armor, the white of her clothing pristine even though the sword held aloft in her hand drips with blood. Her eyes, the same deep aqua as the sea itself, flicker around the room, as if taking stop of her men waiting for her. Beneath the torch light, her golden hair blazes brighter than the sun, her warm brown skin glowing as she steps fully into the light.

“I see that our conquest has gone well. Thank you, my loyal army.” She sheathes her sword, coming to stand at the edge of the pool of blood around Yhwach’s deathly pale corpse. “Mugetsu, you put an end to this vile man? Thank you for doing so.”

“Of course, my queen.” Mugetsu bows his head, and Sosuke’s heart skitters against his ribs as he wonders what kind of woman Halibel must be in order to earn the loyalty of a beast.

Her eyes meet his a moment later and Sosuke presses himself back into the throne; Tensa clings tighter to him, grasping at his skin so hard it is sure to bruise. However, Halibel merely walks around Yhwach’s body, her men parting so she can walk up the short steps to stand before the throne. Her presence is imposing, her posture perfectly straight as she folds her arms across her midsection, looking down at him silently.

“Aizen Sosuke.” Her voice is deep. “I see that my men were able to locate you and to avoid your untimely demise. My order was only to kill your husband. He invaded my land.”

Sosuke’s voice is whisper-soft, husky and fearful. “I told him not to, your Majesty.”

“So I have heard.” Halibel slips a single finger beneath his chin and lifts it, forcing Sosuke to meet her gaze directly. “Do not fear me. I have no reason to kill you nor your child. It took me longer than I would have liked, but my spies gave me the necessary information to lead this charge. As you stood against your husband, you will survive another day.”

Spies? Sosuke can hardly remember who comes in and out of the palace. “Thank you.”

“Those who stand with us can become our allies, and even our friends, should they continue to make the proper choices befitting a friend.” Halibel’s hand slips from beneath his chin, her fingers gently as they comb through Tensa’s hair. “I will only give you one chance to make the proper choice. Surrender to us. Admit your defeat. I will allow you to live in this palace for the rest of your days and your son will have a peaceful existence.”

Without hesitation, Sosuke shifts Tensa out of his arms, nudging him toward the other throne so he can sink to his knees on the cold marble, at Halibel’s feet. “On behalf of my entire kingdom, I, Aizen Sosuke, queen of this land, surrender to you.”

“That is the correct choice to make.” Halibel’s hand comes to rest on top of his head. “I accept your surrender. Mugetsu, as promised, this kingdom now belongs to you.”

Sosuke’s stomach is sour but he says nothing as Mugetsu comes to stand next to his queen, taller than her but not more imposing. The moment her hand moves from Sosuke’s head, his is there, fingers sifting through Sosuke’s long hair, winding the strands around his fingers. Being touched by a demon makes Sosuke tremble, but he doubts any of these demons would judge him harshly for such a thing. They would prefer to have humans cower.

“Thank you, my queen.” Mugetsu bows his head and Halibel touches his shoulder briefly. “What would you have me do with this human and his child? You said they should remain.”

Halibel nods once. “He and his child will remain here. They have done no wrong. As for what you choose to do with them, that is up to you. Allow no harm to come to them, but if you choose to take him as your bride, that is fine with me. I will not stop such a union.”

_ Take me as his bride? _ Sosuke stares up at Mugetsu, willing him to say  _ something. _

“Such a thing seems unnecessary, but he will remain in the palace, so I suppose I can always change my mind.” Mugetsu stoops enough to grip Sosuke by his shoulder, hauling him up to his feet with seemingly no effort at all. “Stand all, Aizen Sosuke.”

The closeness of Mugetsu’s body keeps the room from noting the moment when the cloak slips down Sosuke’s shoulders enough to reveal the soft sheer robe beneath. Mugetsu’s hand leaves his arm, the backs of his fingers brushing along Sosuke’s throat and down to his chest, pulling the cloak shut once more. His touch is electric and Sosuke’s knees tremble for a new reason as he tries to ignore the hot flush in his cheeks.

“You are tired.” Mugetsu shifts forward, his hands coming to settle in the curves of Sosuke’s waist as if he means to pick him up. “You should go back to bed. We will dispose of this bastard’s corpse and inform you in the morning of the changes we choose to make.”

“Wait.” Sosuke’s hand darts out, pressing hard against Mugetsu’s chest, surprised at the texture of the wrapping beneath his hand, the hardness of the muscle beneath that.  _ How does a man come to be built in such a fashion?  _ “I have but one request to make.”

Halibel hums thoughtfully, lifting her chin. “You would make a request of me after I have been kind enough to allow you and your son to remain here? And what would that be?”

The tone of her voice has him flinching but he straightens up a moment later. “Yhwach locked one of my companions away when our marriage was still new. It was… It was to earn my loyalty. I may have attempted to escape on our wedding night, and so I was punished.”

Halibel’s eyes flicker darker for a moment. “We emptied your dungeons, Sosuke.”

“He was not kept in the dungeons. Such a place could not hold him even if Yhwach willed it so.” Sosuke hugs the cloak tighter around his body, desperate for some form of protection against the horrifying truth. “He is locked into a small cage and kept in Yhwach’s private office chambers where I could not get to him. He is… He is one of yours, my lady.”

“One of mine?” Halibel takes a step toward him. “What do you mean by this comment?”

“Ichimaru Gin.” Sosuke bows his head, eyes squeezed shut as tears threaten to well in his eyes at the sensation of his friend’s name leaving his tongue. “He is a kitsune spirit.”

“To this office, then.” Halibel turns suddenly. “Let me see this fox spirit of yours.”

Sosuke nearly crumples to the floor, but Mugetsu’s iron grip on his arm keeps him on his feet, guiding him forward so that he might lead them. Despite himself, Sosuke clings to the lord’s touch and presence. How could it have come to this so soon?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so a lot of author's notes to add to this bc i'm sure it really does beg some questions, and feel free to ask more questions. i'll answer the ones i can and leave certain ones unanswered that the story itself will.
> 
> yhwach and aizen are obviously married, it's an abusive marriage, and yhwach is dead now. so that's over and done with. also it was an arranged marriage so it's not like aizen chose this life. tensa is tensa zangetsu, the younger version, as their son, because it made sense since he looks like yhwach anyway. also there was nothing consensual in that relationship, not one bit. so be warned about that.
> 
> the hollows are demons. so that they can still have their hollow-like powers and abilities within a new frame of canon that has no hollows or shinigami. halibel is their queen.
> 
> mugetsu is indeed the black-haired goth boyfriend look ichigo had to defeat aizen, only he's his own separate character in this fic. he's a bit of shiro's impulsive personality especially when it comes to fighting but he has zangetsu's more stoic, self-controlled personality as his main mode. i really fucking love his design and i started thinking about him as his own character and this kind of came from that. the fact it's aizen just makes sense to me idk.
> 
> there's gonna be a whole lot of death in this. it's not going to be super gorey most of the time, but they are demons, and this is a war that they were fighting.


	2. Chapter 2

Mugetsu does not think he has ever met a human like Aizen Sosuke in his life.

Demons’ lives have no set expiration date. They live until someone kills them, and rarely show their age in any form of their bodies aging, skin wrinkling as human skin is wont to do. Only Barragan shows his age at all and Mugetsu could not conceptualize how long the old bastard has lived if he had to think about it. More than a millennia at least.

Having lived hundreds of years himself, Mugetsu has met many humans. Most of those humans have met their end on the blade of his sword, thinking they could best him in battle or encroach upon the land that belongs to his kind. Having killed so many earned him the title of a general in Halibel’s army, and that position granted him the privilege to crush Yhwach and his kingdom when it became clear he had no intention of backing out of his invasion no matter how many attempts were foiled. Mugetsu never met the man until half an hour ago, having allowed Ulquiorra and Grimmjow to deal with the humans. Only when Halibel grew tired of the various attempts did she send Mugetsu to quash it at its source.

He knew precious few details walking into the battle, only those Halibel deemed necessary for him to know and her specific set of orders. Kill Yhwach, do not harm his queen or their child. The knowledge that her spies uncovered the two could become useful was not known to him until she spoke it herself in the throne room; the information was unnecessary. He had no desire to know why he was to leave two humans alive, but he was willing to do it.

Despite this, he knows basic information about human politics, and it surprised him not at all to glean the information that the marriage between Aizen Sosuke and Yhwach was a political choice and not a choice based on their personal emotions. It means little to him; what humans choose to do with one another has no bearing on his life. But he does wonder what it means that the mortal made friends with one of their own.

“This is his office.” Sosuke’s voice is low as he comes to stop before an ornate set of doors, his hands gripping the edges of Mugetsu’s cloak to hold close to his body. “I don’t know where the cage is inside, but I’m certain it cannot be hard to find.”

Halibel tests the door and frowns when it does not give; she forces it a moment later and forces it open, the wood splintering where the doors lock together. “You said the room was just an office. Did he believe someone would walk in when he was not here?”

“I would have if I had the option. To let Gin out.” Sosuke hugs the cloak tighter around him and Mugetsu frowns, pressing his fingers to the back of Sosuke’s cheek.

His body temperature seems moderate, so why is he acting as though he is cold?

“Let us find the fox, then.” Halibel scans the interior of the office, barely lit by the moonlight outside. “Ah, I see. He kept the cage in front of the window.”

Mugetsu scans the interior of the room, then snaps his fingers, watching the various candles in the room flame to life, providing them enough of a glow to see by. A cage is set up in front of the window on a large table, the heavy steel so thick he almost does not see the creature walking in small circles in the confined space.

“Gin!” The name comes out on an exhale and Sosuke bolts across the room; so he has life in him yet. “I’m sorry it took so long. I’m sorry he kept you in here like a  _ decoration. _ ”

The kitsune is pale silver and glowing beneath the steel, its voluminous tails taking up enough space in the box that Mugetsu can imagine how uncomfortable it must feel. “Never mind that, Sosuke, what the hell is going on? I can see the fire from up here.”

“Well, the claim of a kitsune spirit hidden away in an office was true after all.” Halibel rests her hand on the steel, shaking her head briefly. “This is charged. Mugetsu, use your sword to cleave the steel in two. How interesting, that a human knows of blessed metal.”

Sosuke’s eyes are wide and fearful. “What if you cut him by accident?”

“I have never cut anything by  _ accident, _ ” Mugetsu says coolly, removing his sword from its sheath. The black blade gleams in the candlelight, dry now, having drunk the blood spilled across its surface. “I will not harm your friend. Step aside, my queen.”

He sees a flicker of surprise in Sosuke’s eyes a moment later, but the title does its job in enabling him to step back, his hands folded nervously in front of him. Mugetsu eyes the size of the cage and the shape of it, then strikes just once. The steel splits and the fox leaps out of the cage and onto the floor, shaking out the heavy weight of his silver fur, his tails fanning out behind him. Despite being imprisoned, he looks to be in good health.

“Gin.” Sosuke falls to his knees and opens his arms, and the kitsune bounds into them.

Just before he reaches Sosuke, the fox turns into his human shape. The tails are present, larger now, his silver ears pressed flat to the top of his head, his slender arms tight around Sosuke’s body as he hugs the human against his chest. Mugetsu’s eyes widen slightly in surprise. He’s never known a human and a demon to have any sort of bond.

“You’re all right. I was so worried about you.” Sosuke leans back, strokes his hand down Gin’s face, and the kitsune laughs at him, a chattering little sound that has Mugetsu smiling. “I thought he’d killed you and just banked on my fear to hide it from me.”

Softly, Gin scoffs at him, combing his fingers through Sosuke’s long hair. “Nah, he wouldn’t dare lose what he had on ya. After he broke your arm, I think he was pretty sure ya wouldn’t pull a stunt like that again. Well, the third time around, anyway.”

“Who broke your arm?” Mugetsu asks, sheathing his sword once more.

Sosuke’s face blanches. “It is no matter. Gin is merely recounting a memory.”

“Nah, he deserves to know, I think.” Gin turns to look at him, and Mugetsu frowns when he sees a flash of curious blue iris before the fox’s eyes close once more. “Bastard broke Sosuke’s arm three different times when he was trying to get to me. Used to keep me in the dungeon office, then up in one of the towers, then here. S’why he started locking the door.  _ Please _ tell me the bones set right ‘cause I was getting worried.”

“Giselle was permitted to heal me once I’d learned my lesson,” Sosuke murmurs, his tone petulant, clearly suggesting he did not want that information spread.

Halibel makes a noise of discontent in the back of her throat. “Are you telling me that your husband was abusive toward you? To the point where he injured you?”

“I have no desire to talk about it, my queen.” Sosuke bows his head and Mugetsu feels something slow and hot burn in his veins, his jaw taut.

“Then I will not press the issue.” Halibel offers her hand to Gin, who takes it and uses it to pull himself to his feet. “It’s nice to see that you actually exist. I had thought on the walk here that this was meant to be a trap. The two of you are friends?

Gin nods. “Ever since he was a tot. Pulled me out of a hunter’s trap, cut his fingers up and everything. Never turned back when I followed him home. Still has the scars, look—”

“I’m certain that her Majesty does not have the time to listen to these old silly stories, Gin,” Sosuke says, staggering to his feet; Mugetsu moves automatically to steady him, seizing him by the wrist, drawing a hand up to his eyes to see for himself.

There are scars etched into his peachy skin, and Mugetsu frowns at the sight of them, running one of his fingers over them. “There are scars. It appears that is the truth.”

“I wouldn’t lie. Sosuke’s the best thing to ever happen to me.” Gin throws his arms around Sosuke’s shoulders, nuzzling against his cheek, and Mugetsu frowns at him, at how close he is. “He’s gone through a lot for my sake. What happened to that bastard of a king, anyway? Why’s the demon queen hanging out here? What’s all the fire outside?”

“The king is dead by my blade. I was sent here to end his life and ensure that he could no longer attempt to take over our lands.” Mugetsu huffs a sigh, his hand dropping to the hilt of his sword once more. “Though perhaps I should have taken more time in ending his life if he was truly such a horrible and abusive husband.”

Sosuke shrugs, smoothing his fingers through Gin’s hair. “All that matters is that he’s dead now. I dealt with him while it was necessary to do so. That is all.”

“So you killed the king.” Gin pokes one bony finger into Mugetsu’s chest, and Mugetsu nods in answer. “So then does that mean you’re gonna take Sosuke as  _ your _ queen instead?”

Halibel’s gaze is cool when it lands on him and Mugetsu refuses to make contact with his queen’s eyes, knowing far too well that she wants a proper answer out of him. It is not unusual among their kind; Grimmjow killed his own former mate to show off for Ulquiorra and woo him, after all. But a  _ human? _ His life would be over before a hundred years had passed, and it was likely any offspring would carry his human weakness.

_ But for a brief period of time…  _ “I have not made a decision on that, kitsune.”

“Ichimaru Gin. Remember that name.” Gin flashes him a smile and then presses himself against Sosuke’s side once more. “I’m gonna take him on up to bed now, it’s late. Where’s the prince? Surely ya didn’t kill an innocent boy like that.”

“The prince is in the throne room. I’ll have him taken to his bedroom.” Halibel turns her back to them. “Mugetsu, you are free to do as you please. I will return home. When you have settled into your place as king of this land and set up your hierarchy and made a decision as to your consort, you may contact me to let me know the details.”

Mugetsu nods once. “Of course, Halibel. I’ll send word through Ulquiorra.”

“Very well. Unless the queen and the prince attempt to make an attempt on any lives of our people, you will not raise a hand against them.” Halibel tilts her head toward him, and her eyes are glacier cold. “If you must, make it quick and painless. Should I discover that you made either of them suffer unnecessarily, I will punish you as needed.”

“I’d never dream of it,” Mugetu reassures her, and she nods and turns on her heel.

The slender fingers that drag down his back do not startle him; Mugetsu merely turns to see Gin standing at his back, a mischievous little smile on his lips. “Ya should’ve seen how Sosuke was done up on his wedding day. He’s such a pretty human, isn’t he?”

Mugetsu tilts his head toward Sosuke once more. The long hair spiraling down his back is a rich chestnut brown, healthy and glinting softly in the flickering candlelight. Though his eyes are downcast, Mugetsu knows the color is a rich brown with a soft undertone of gold, and his features are soft, the line of his jaw tempting a gentle touch. The transparent robe beneath the cloak had enabled Mugetsu to see… Far too much, but it was enough to know Sosuke’s body was well-shaped, strong shoulders and soft skin.

“He is,” he finally agrees, and Sosuke raises his head, his eyes widening in shock. “You heard me. I’ll escort you to your bedroom, and I’ll join you before long.”

“Join…” Sosuke frowns at him but says nothing, pressing into Gin’s arms.

Gin sighs, combing his fingers through Sosuke’s hair. “Hope ya don’t mind me joining ya in the bedroom, then. I rather like that daybed by the window. Just in case any funny ideas cross your mind, Mugetsu. Your kingdom or not, I’m keeping an eye on you.”

“Do as you like. I have no intention of taking anything from Aizen Sosuke that he does not want to give me by choice.” Mugetsu grips the hilt of his sword, stepping toward the door. “Do not wait up. I’m going to dispose of that bastard’s body, and I’m going to take my latent frustration out on it. It’s going to be disgusting. Do not try to find me.”

“Latent frustration?” Sosuke calls after him, but Gin hushes him, and both of them fall quiet. Mugetsu leaves the office, heading directly for the throne room.

The irritation building up in his limbs has him drawing his sword as soon as he marches into the throne room, pausing to assure himself the prince has been taken from the room before he lodges his sword into Yhwach’s corpse once more. The sound is wet and awful, and the men mulling in the room jump at the sound of it. Ulquiorra raises an eyebrow at him but says nothing, and Grimmjow laughs and drops down on the steps before the throne, watching as Mugetsu removes the sword just to slam it home again.

“My lord,” Szayel says smoothly from the edge of the pool of blood, “you do not need my medical expertise to inform you that the man died when you stabbed him in the throat.”

Mugetsu shakes his head, stabbing his sword in again, rupturing another organ. “I should have taken my time. The bastard should have had a long, painful death.”

“You have learned something disquieting in the time you were absent,” Ulquiorra says.

“He beat that pretty queen of his?” Grimmjow asks, whistling when Mugetsu just lodges his sword in again. “That’s what I thought. Sure seemed like that from how fast he gave up to survive and stay here comfortably. You gonna marry him after all, then?”

Sighing, Mugetsu sheaths his sword, ignoring the way the blade purrs in thanks. “That seems to be the popular question. I do not have an answer for you, Grimmjow.”

“You will,” Ulquiorra says, and Mugetsu narrows his eyes at him. “I know you too well. We’ve been companions for a long time. You would not be so upset if a part of you did not want to possess that human. What did he do that was so horrible?”

With the toe of his boot, Mugetsu rolls Yhwach’s corpse over, admiring the sheer amount of bloody holes gouged into his body. “I have every reason to believe that child of theirs was not conceived consensually. He kept a kitsune locked up in his office and broke his queen’s arm three different times for trying to save him. The two of them are friends.”

“Fuck, man. Should’ve tortured him, then.” Grimmjow pushes himself up from the steps, stooping next to the body. “Well, plenty we can do with the corpse, at least. Let’s dismember him and burn the pieces in front of his people. Teach ‘em a lesson.”

Mugetsu nods. “Sounds like a plan. Szayel, anything you want to look at on him?”

“I think you’ve destroyed most of his organs, so I’m fine.” Szayel heaves a sigh, combing a hand through his hair. “It’s distressing to know that he was so cruel to that pretty human of his. Do you think any of his men might bear the queen ill will now that he’s dead?”

The thought makes Mugetsu’s stomach roil. “Wrap the body up and store it until the morning, where we’ll do as I said. I’m going to go watch over Sosuke while he sleeps.”

“Sosuke.” Ulquiorra raises one eyebrow. “So you learned the human’s name.”

“I’ll pretend you didn’t imply anything with that comment,” Mugetsu tells him.

He knows where the royal bedroom is, having cased the palace long before ever daring to step foot within its walls. The doors are shut firmly and he lingers outside of them for a moment, examining the hallways, and lets himself inside. Though the room is dark, he can see well enough. As he said, Gin is resting on the daybed by the far window, the moonlight streaming down on his form, highlighting the silver in his hair and his fur. Sosuke is in bed, his hair spread out across the pillow, his cheek cushioned by the softness.

Mugetsu leaves the bedroom, stepping through the doorway that leads to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him before lighting the candles in the room. Better to wash the blood and grime from his skin before going anywhere near the bed.

He glances at himself in the mirror, though he knows what he looks like well enough by now. Black hair, crimson eyes, skin warmed by the rays of the sun. Though, for the first time, he wonders what Sosuke must have seen when they met for the first time.

_ I have no clothes here, _ he thinks, pulling at the grey wrapping wound around his body, the fabric as tough as steel and more effective than any armor ever could be.

The door creaks open and he lifts his head, setting the wrapping on the counter, naked now from the waist up. When he sees Gin standing in the doorway, he frowns.

“What do you want, fox?” he asks, his eyes lingering on the folds of black on Gin’s arm.

“Your lack of clothing caught my attention. I recognize the armor, but that was all you were wearing.” Gin holds the clothing out to him and Mugetsu accepts it, studying the stitching, the way the fabric seems to shimmer red beneath the light. “Kitsune magic can do quite a lot, you know. You can sleep in this, and there’s an outfit for your coronation in the morning already prepared. I had to do something while Sosuke fell asleep.”

Mugetsu nods, setting the fabric on the counter. “Thank you. How is he feeling?”

“I think once it sinks in, he’ll be feeling better, but right now he’s just exhausted and scared about what happens next.” Gin steps into the room, planting both of his hands on one of Mugetsu’s shoulders. “He’d make you such a pretty bride, you know.”

“You seem to have very strong feelings when it comes to whether or not Sosuke should become my consort,” Mugetsu says, fixing the fox with a stern gaze.

Gin rolls his shoulders. “You’re a strong demon lord and I want Sosuke to be safe and sound for the rest of his life. You’d be strong enough to kill anyone who tried to touch him.”

“I see your point. As I said, I have no official decision on it. Now, give me some privacy so that I may…” Mugetsu pauses, head tilted to the side. Listening.

Those are definitely footsteps he hears tiptoeing down the hallway.

Gin swings his head around. “Who would be creeping in to see Sosuke this late at night?”

“Step into the bathroom.” Before Gin can argue, Mugetsu shoves the fox behind him and shuts the door, extinguishing the light and throwing the room into deep shadow. To make sure he is invisible just in case, he winds the shadows tighter around himself and waits.

The bedroom door creaks open slowly and Mugetsu narrows his eyes when he sees the white uniform of the man who steps into the room, watching him shut the door quietly behind him. The moment he draws a knife from inside of his jacket, Mugetsu steps behind him, his footsteps silent in the heavy carpet; the man never even has a chance to make a noise before Mugetsu’s arm is wrapped firmly around his neck, cutting off his airway and holding him in place. He can smell the panic and fear rolling off of the human and smirks to himself, huffing in annoyance when the bathroom door swings open.

“Who in the hell— Quilge Opie. The dungeon master.” Gin sounds irritated and Mugetsu can hardly blame him. He can see the slight glow reflecting off of the blade and knows this must have been the man who blessed Gin’s prison. “Come to kill the queen, fool?”

Quilge heaves, his breath rasping between his teeth. “Who the hell is this monster?”

“I am the new king of this land.” Mugetsu grips the man’s jaw. “And because you have come to kill the queen, it has recently become my duty to end your life.”

He snaps the man’s throat, the familiar crunch of bone echoing through the quiet room.

“What was that?” Sosuke’s voice is husky with sleep. “Gin, what— What’s going on?”

Gin crawls up onto the bed, gently taking Sosuke’s shoulders in his hands. “Looks like there’s been some dissension about the choices made this evening, my love.”

“He came to kill me, didn’t he?” Sosuke swings his legs over the bed. “I can’t—”

The bedroom door swings inward, and Shiro walks into the room with another white-uniformed corpse thrown over his shoulder. “Hey, King— Oh, looks like we’re all having a party tonight. Want me to take him? I’m gonna have to start a pile at this rate. Some of Yhwach’s soldiers tried to rush our men in the throne room and one of ‘em came after the prince. Got all the way in the door and I crushed his skull.”

“You protected my son?” Sosuke asks, his voice faint and uncertain.

“‘Course I did. What the hell was I gonna do, let him die? I’m gonna head on back, left one of my buddies guarding the room until I could go do it myself. Just came to tell King what was going on.” Shiro claps Mugetsu on the shoulder. “Hey, gimme the body. Grimmjow’s gonna pile ‘em all up to burn in the morning, said you’re doing that with Yhwach.”

Sosuke makes a faint noise and Mugetsu tells himself to deal with it in just a moment.

“Sounds like a good plan.” Mugetsu heaves Quilge’s corpse over Shiro’s shoulder, and the younger demon carries them both away without so much as a grunt. “Sosuke, I will continue washing up, and then I will talk to you. I still have blood on my skin.”

“Of course.” Sosuke sits down on the bed heavily, and Gin moves to embrace him.

Mugetsu washes up quickly; he’s fought in enough battles to have it down to a science, and he remembers to change into the clothing Gin brought him before he steps back into the bedroom. Sosuke looks pale and shaky, hugging the thin transparent robe to his body, and Mugetsu heaves a breath and walks toward what he presumes is the closet, throwing the doors open and examining the clothing inside. Someone has taken the time to arrange it, so he finds what should be counted as sleepwear, finding a robe that will hide Sosuke’s skin from view, the fur lining likely to keep him warm as well.

“Gin, have him change into this.” Mugetsu holds the robe out. “I will keep my back turned.”

“Good man,” Gin murmurs, and the robe disappears from his hand a moment later.

When Mugetsu is certain enough time has passed, he turns around and walks toward the bed, sitting on the side he presumes must have belonged to Yhwach. “Sosuke,” he says, his voice smooth and even, “we have decided we’re going to burn Yhwach’s body in the morning to make sure that the kingdom is aware who is in charge now. Do you have any objections?”

“No. Of course not.” Sosuke shakes his head, then drops it into his hands. “I’m so tired. I just wanted to sleep, but not if it means closing my eyes means I might  _ die. _ ”

“No harm will come to you while I am drawing breath.” Mugetsu slips a hand beneath Sosuke’s chin, turning those distressed eyes to his own. “I will keep you safe. No one is going to bring harm to your person. You have suffered enough pain in your life, and I will not allow you to suffer any longer. Rest, Sosuke. It took little to nothing to kill the man who came into this room to harm you. There is no man here who can best me in battle.”

Sosuke leans into his touch, his eyes fluttering shut. “I suppose since you’re going to share a bed with me, you might as well do  _ something _ to earn the position.”

The edge in his voice makes Mugetsu smile despite himself. “As you wish, my queen.”

“I’m going to sleep on my bed, then.” Gin slides off of the mattress, half-bounding over to the daybed once more. “Don’t stay awake too long. Dawn will be here soon.”

Mugetsu tilts his head, the curtains in the room shutting so that the room is bathed in true darkness once more. Far easier to sleep in, and it will keep the sunlight out until he decides to awaken from his slumber. “It is time for us to rest now, Sosuke.”

The mattress is comfortable at least, and the fox makes excellent clothing; Mugetsu finds his eyes fixed on Sosuke’s back, the gentle slope of it as he presses his face down into the pillow once more. He moves without thinking, rolling onto his side, drawing Sosuke back against his chest, smoothing a hand down his side. Sosuke jumps up in tension for just a moment, then leans back into his touch, fingers brushing over Mugetsu’s hand before tugging it around to rest on his stomach. Holding him properly.

“You should have just asked,” Mugetsu tells him, smoothing his hand over Sosuke’s belly.

Sosuke scoffs, pressing his face harder against the pillow beneath his head. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I haven’t exactly had a nice run when it comes to affection. Why are you doing this for me in the first place? You know nothing about me.”

Leaning back, Mugetsu rolls Sosuke over onto his side so he can look down into his face, brushing his fingers along the side of his face, trailing along his jaw. He truly has such a lovely face. “I do not need to know anything about you to know that your bastard of a late husband was cruel to you. Allow me to give you a chance to heal from that.”

“I’d like that.” Sosuke tucks his face against Mugetsu’s chest, and Mugetsu lets him, combing his fingers through Sosuke’s long hair. It’s just as soft as it appeared to be. “You’re going to let us stay here in this palace? Both of us? With no strings attached?”

“There is nothing you need to do for yourself and your son to remain here and safe. I am not going to let anything happen to either of you. Shiro, especially, will not allow harm to come to your son.” And Mugetsu is going to have to have a talk with him about things.

Sosuke sighs and nods. “Thank you. Tensa needs a sense of peace and security.”

“He’ll have it.” Mugetsu cups a hand around the back of his neck, brushing his thumb over the tense muscles there. “Relax and go to sleep. We’ll wake up when we choose to.”

It takes close to half an hour for Sosuke to relax and fall asleep in his arms, and Mugetsu sighs and presses a kiss to the top of his head when Sosuke’s breathing grows soft and even. The quiet of the room is peaceful, but Mugetsu stays awake for another hour longer just the same, stroking a hand up and down Sosuke’s back while he waits to see if anyone else attempts to break into the room and assassinate the queen. He hears footsteps, but they stop just outside of the door, and he makes a mental note to remind Ulquiorra that he did  _ not _ ask for a bodyguard, and he hardly needs one.

When Sosuke whimpers in his sleep, stirring, making fitful little noises in his throat, Mugetsu smoothes a hand down the side of his face until he calms once more. When his thumb encounters a tear that has slipped from beneath closed lids, he’s angry once more.

But he quashes the anger and folds himself around Sosuke securely, curling his fingers in Sosuke’s long brown hair and holding him close to his chest. The thought that this poor man struggles just to sleep because of what he endured at the hands of Yhwach makes Mugetsu wish he’d left the former king alive long enough to torture him. If he could, he would break his bones one by one until the crunch satisfied him. He would snap his neck to finish it off, or maybe spend his time slowly crushing his skull.

Mugetsu kisses Sosuke’s forehead and closes his eyes, willing himself to fall asleep so that he will be awake and alert tomorrow. So that he will be able to support Sosuke should he need the support, comfort him if he needs a shoulder to lean on.

Halibel made it clear she wanted Mugetsu to take a partner, insistent that he needs to stop playing the lone wolf. She’d changed after meeting Nelliel, and though Mugetsu understands the sentiment, no one has ever caught his attention and held it.

Until now. Until he met Aizen Sosuke.

_ Perhaps I will make him my queen after all. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have i mentioned i love mugetsuuuuuu


	3. Chapter 3

“What are you doing here, your _Majesty?_ ” The tone of the demon’s voice sends a small thrill of uncertainty down Sosuke’s spine, and he tries to ignore the mocking air of the title. “The prince is safe. You think I’d let anything happen to him?”

Sosuke smiles thinly, taking a step closer to Shiro and refusing to allow those golden eyes to back him into a corner submissively. “Tensa is my son, and I wish to check on him this morning. If you want to argue the point with me, then I’ll have you put in your place.”

“Put in my place?” Shiro’s black browns rise, a sharp contrast to his pale white hair. “You—”

The clear, deep voice that interrupts sends a shudder through Sosuke’s body. “Surely you are not arguing with the queen about visiting his son this morning. You know better, Shiro.”

When Sosuke had awoken to find the demon lord still asleep at his side, he made the decision to leave Mugetsu where he was, dress for the day, and check on Tensa to ensure that his son was as safe as promised. It was difficult to remain in bed last night when an attempt had been made on his son’s life, but the entire affair made it very clear that he needed to obey at least where Mugetsu was concerned. As long as the demon was uncertain about the decision to make Sosuke his bride one way or another, Sosuke could manipulate him, perhaps win him over and guarantee his and his son’s permanent safety.

He did not particularly _like_ the idea of allowing Mugetsu to become his husband. Having Yhwach dead made his life supremely easier; there was no threat of beatings or broken bones, and he slept through the night wholly without being awoken in an attempt to conceive another heir _just in case._ Sosuke never wanted the husband he _had,_ and knowing nothing about Mugetsu over than his talent for killing did not exactly endear the demon to him no matter how sweet he could appear beneath the cover of the night.

But he needs to keep Tensa safe, and in a den of lions, perhaps that means wrapping the king around his finger as tightly as possible in order. At least he was not abusive…

Shiro huffs and drags a hand down the length of his own face, fingers pulling at his skin, distorting his features. “Why must you spoil _all_ of my fun? It’s late. Where were you?”

“Asleep. In case you don’t recall, getting to bed was interrupted by assassination attempts.” Mugetsu’s voice lacks any true humor and when he advances, brushing past Sosuke, Shiro takes a hesitant step back. “Move. Allow the queen to visit the prince.”

“Fine. Since when do you sleep into the afternoon?” Shiro’s eyebrow twitches but, with a final glance in Sosuke’s direction, he steps away from the double doors leading to Tensa’s room. The expression on his face says he would rather _not_ be doing that.

Sosuke wonders about that and tells himself he does _not_ want to know right now.

Mugetsu pushes the doors open and Sosuke steps inside, relieved to see his son lounging in bad, sunlight spilling softly onto his shoulders from the window carved just beneath his bed frame. He glances up briefly and then drops the book in his hands, bolting off of the mattress in one fluid and graceful movement, throwing himself into Sosuke’s waiting arms, his grip panicky tight around Sosuke’s waist. Gently, Sosuke wraps an arm around his son’s shoulders, soothing his fingers through the boy’s soft, ruffled hair.

“Father!” Tensa hugs him tighter and Sosuke smiles and thanks the gods that his son is alive and well, resting his cheek on top of the boy’s head. “I’m glad you’re all right. Shiro-san said there was an attempt on your life last night. I was worried.”

“Our gracious king kept me safe,” Sosuke reassures him. “Gin was in the room as well. I was never in any danger. Are you well? No one was able to harm you?”

Tensa shakes his head; his eyes drift over Sosuke’s shoulder, and Sosuke knows the white-skinned demon is watching them. “Shiro-san kept me safe.”

“Good.” Sosuke hugs his son once more, then takes a step back to look down at him. “It’s time you dress. His Majesty has something planned today, and—”

Mugetsu clears his throat. “Do not call me that. No need to be so formal.”

“Hmm?” Sosuke turns to look at him, the dark shape of him pressed against the dark wood of the door, watching them silently. “What would you prefer that I call you, then?”

With every step forward he takes, Sosuke feels smaller, feels like he should withdraw into himself, apologize, and properly subjugate himself so that his apology is clear. He keeps his arm around Tensa’s shoulders and lifts his chin, refusing to back down. What do demons prefer in mates? He should ask Gin. Perhaps demons _do_ like their mates to be docile, though Ulquiorra and Grimmjow seemed to have nothing like that going on.

“Call me by my name. Mugetsu. You know it.” Dark fingers catch Sosuke under the chin, drawing his head back just a little further. “But you are correct, Sosuke. I have a ceremony planned this morning, and it’s best if we can get to it as soon as possible.”

“Of course.” Sosuke breathes in slowly, aware of the demon’s fingers on his skin, caught in those crimson eyes. “We will join you in the throne room, perhaps? We will not keep—”

“I will be waiting outside of the room for the two of you to join us.” Mugetsu lets him go and Sosuke exhales slowly, nodding slowly up at him. “It is best for the two of us to appear as a united force to your people, as well as my own. Your people have already tried to kill you once. Perhaps their fear of my people will keep them in check this time.”

Sosuke frowns at him. “What makes you think that has anything to do with it?”

Shiro laughs, the sound a sharp cackle that makes the hair on the back of Sosuke’s neck prick. “Don’t you get it, queen? Your people didn’t expect us to be protecting you. Ain’t no reason for them to think that. Bet they wouldn’t have gone through with it if they did.”

“Is that true?” Sosuke asks, looking between him and Mugetsu, not sure what to think.

“If I had to guess, Sosuke,” Gin says, pushing Mugetsu out of the way very obviously, ignoring the way the demon lord’s gaze shifts to him, “I’d say that’s accurate. I’ve heard some stories this morning. The reason sneak attacks were lobbed at those loitering in the throne room is that our people thought _they_ could be reasonably defeated. There was never any talk of going anywhere near the king, though, and they seemed to think getting to you and the kid was going to be easy. You shouldn’t have had guards.”

Of course not. Yhwach’s soldiers were loyal to him first and foremost; his guards only ever watched over Sosuke and Tensa per order and request and never by choice, dedicated only to keeping their king safe at all costs. With Yhwach dead, there should have been no one watching over Sosuke or Tensa; they should have been easy to pick off.

The thought is chilling in more ways than one. He hugs Tensa tighter to his side.

Mugetsu clears his throat. “Such a thing will not occur again. I have already given Szayel the order to round up all of those close to Yhwach who are still living, to interrogate them and figure out where their loyalties truly lie. If they are traitorous, I will execute them.”

“That’s so… Cold.” Tensa takes a step forward and Sosuke clamps down on his hold on the boy, not letting him get any closer to Mugetsu. “You can’t just kill them because my father was… The way that he was. They should get a chance to do the right thing, too.”

Shiro exhales loudly. “This fucking kid is too soft. No, prince, we _can’t_ do that.”

“Why not?” Tensa rounds on him and Sosuke squeezes his eyes shut. “Why can’t you give them all another chance? Most of them have never lived in a time where my father wasn’t king. They don’t know anything else. How could they ever make the right choice?”

Sosuke opens his eyes just to see Mugetsu’s hand touch down on his son’s shoulder, and he bites his tongue hard at the sight. When Mugetsu speaks, though, his voice is low and gentle. “Tensa, I understand your concern for their lives. My primary concern lies with your life, and the life of your living father. If Yhwach’s men cannot be trusted to make the right choice under pain of death, then they will never make the right choice at all. I would rather purge those we cannot trust than wait to see if they try to kill you or not.”

“You don’t get it, kiddo.” Shiro walks into the room, poking Tensa between the eyes with one pale finger. “You could’ve _died_ last night. That fucker came into this room with a blade and you had no protection except for me. What if I wasn’t here? You’d be dead. I bet your daddy’s men thought of you and your other dad as a nuisance best to get rid of. Especially since your dad _surrendered_ to us. You’re traitors as far as they’re concerned.”

“Surrendering was the only way to prevent more bloodshed. Don’t they understand that?” Tensa’s voice is urgent but Shiro only laughs, making him flinch back.

Shiro takes another step forward and Tensa shrinks back into Sosuke’s side immediately. “You think they give a shit about that? Most of ‘em were willing to die even if it meant losing ‘cause at least they could say they fought. They didn’t care if they died.”

“Any good soldier will fight even if it means dying. It _usually_ means dying.” Mugetsu clamps a hand down on Shiro’s shoulder, and one fluid movement of his arm sends the smaller demon flying backward, his back thudding against the far wall. “My apologies for his behavior. He’s my younger brother, and I do not discipline him nearly enough.”

“My king.” Another voice interrupts and Sosuke’s head swivels toward the door; the number of demons in the room keeps rising, and it makes him nervous. The man standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, is not someone he recognizes. Tall and thin, long black hair hanging around him like a veil, one of his eyes hidden behind a patch. “Everyone’s kinda getting fucking tired of waiting. Can you maybe hurry it up?”

Mugetsu sighs and tips his head back. “Right, of course. Shiro, out. Sosuke, please make sure that Tensa dresses quickly. I do not want to keep everyone waiting much longer.”

Sosuke nods. “Of course. We’ll be done quickly, I promise.”

The moment the double doors swing shut, Sosuke moves toward the closet, hands brushing across fabric until he finds black. Tensa is wan and silent, the color drained from his face and his eyes hollow and distant. Seeing him like this makes Sosuke’s stomach hurt, and he knows this display is only going to upset Tensa more, but… They have to adapt, both of them, to living with creatures like this. Even monsters are kinder than Yhwach was.

“The way he looked at you…” Tensa’s voice is soft and husky. “It was strange.”

“Several people have asked him if he plans on taking me as his bride now that Yhwach is dead.” Sosuke helps Tensa dress, smoothing out the wrinkles in the black robes. The color only makes him look paler, but it is the proper color of mourning. “He remains undecided on the matter… It wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Having a father who does not strike me.”

Tensa’s eyes widen. “I never wanted Father to hit you the way he did. You shouldn’t have suffered. But, can such a creature ever be a suitable partner? I watched Shiro-san last night when he… It was so _easy_ for him, to take someone’s life away.”

“I know it goes against your nature, that level of violence, but it was to keep you safe. Surely you can see that.” Sosuke sighs, presses his hands to Tensa’s face, willing his son to understand at least well enough to get them through this first day.

“I just worry. I’ve heard so many tales about demons, their attack did not seem unlike those stories.” Tensa hugs him suddenly, his arms tight as they loop around Sosuke’s back. “I couldn’t forgive myself if I told you it was a good idea, and he ended up hurting you.”

The pain in Tensa’s voice is impossible for Sosuke to ignore and he embraces his son in return, pressing his face to those soft brown locks. He wishes he had the time to comfort him, but they have a limit today, so he brushes through Tensa’s hair as quickly as he can and takes him by the hand, leading him out into the hallway.

“Very efficient.” Mugetsu’s eyes meet his automatically and Sosuke looks into his eyes and wonders if he is capable of the same level of intimate violence that Yhwach was, if his exploits are limited only to the battlefield. “Let us be on our way now.”

The tall, lanky demon is missing, but Sosuke pays that no mind, falling into step beside Mugetsu, aware of Gin bobbing at his other side, a constant and reassuring presence that at least _one_ demon in his life has always been kind and considerate. Gin was old when Sosuke was only a child still, and he had never given Sosuke reason to believe that all demons were violent and untrustworthy, but he cannot ignore the slight unease in his gut. What will he do if Mugetsu chooses him, and then becomes like Yhwach? Worse, even, because Yhwach was only human. Mugetsu is far from a mortal man.

A hand in the small of his back startles him and Sosuke looks up to see Mugetsu watching him with guarded, quiet eyes. “I apologize, my ki— Mugetsu. I have a lot on my mind today.”

“There is no need to apologize. I’m well aware that this sudden change will be difficult to process for quite some time.” Mugetsu’s hand strokes over his skin through the layers of his clothing and Sosuke swallows hard. “I’ve a mind to let you light the funeral pyre. The bastard caused you the most damage. It would be well within your right to do so.”

“Sends an interesting message, King,” Shiro drawls, but Mugetsu seems to ignore him.

Sosuke presses his lips together. “Whatever you think is best, then—”

“No.” Mugetsu stops abruptly, and Sosuke freezes. “You make this choice. I’m going to have more than enough fun just carving the bastard up. Do you want to be the one who lights his body on fire? I know an extent of what he did to you, but I hardly know all of it. If you want to do this, then I will let you. It is up to you to choose.”

“Okay.” Sosuke swallows hard. “I’ll think about it on the walk.”

Mugetsu’s lips twitch. “So be it. Let us go first to the throne room. Everyone is waiting.”

The throne room is, in fact, brimming with demons that Sosuke does not recognize, but he keeps his chin raised and his eyes fixed on the throne, wondering what this means to them, what this symbolizes. He recognizes Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, the pair of them hovering on either side of the three thrones. He thinks he sees Ulquiorra’s eyes widen just slightly but ignores it, not sure what to make of it or him. No, Sosuke still needs time for that.

“Take your place.” Mugetsu’s hand on his back nudges him forward and Sosuke hesitates for only a moment before taking his place in the queen’s throne, watching as Mugetsu directs Tensa to take his place on the prince’s throne as well.

With slow and purposeful steps, Mugetsu walks up the steps, the sunlight spilling into the room from the glass panes of the ceiling above highlighting the red dancing through the black fabric, flashes that look like blood spread across his skin. His hair is as black as the night sky and his eyes _burn,_ and when he turns to address his people, who spill across the floor to him, Sosuke feels odd. Watching him lift his hands toward them, watching the way they stare up at him fervently, he wonders if this is what being a king is meant to be.

“We’ve fought long and hard to get this far, and I thank each and every one of you for what you were willing to sacrifice to get to this point.” Mugetsu’s voice rings through the room, the rich tone of it making Sosuke sit up and listen. “As her Majesty Halibel’s most loyal and well-decorated fighting guard, I thank all of you for standing at my side, for following my orders but being able and willing to adapt as necessary. It is through your fighting that we could have this kingdom become our own.”

“If that’s true, you oughta let one of _us_ be king,” Grimmjow snarks, and the demons in the room laugh and cackle, and Sosuke looks at them all in disbelief.

Speaking out like that when Yhwach was addressing his guard… _Don’t think about it._

Mugetsu merely tilts his head. “When you can prove to me that you’re capable of _some_ form of control, I’ll consider it. Until then, Grimmjow, it’s not going to happen.”

Grimmjow sticks his tongue out at him, but there is good humor in his blue eyes.

Gin perches himself on the arm of Sosuke’s throne, running a comforting hand through his hair, and Sosuke leans into it, needing something familiar in this moment.

“You gotta fucking beat me if you’re even gonna contend,” Shiro announces, dropping down to sit on the stairs at Tensa’s feet. “So get in line, Grimm, you got a while to go.”

“As I was saying. Halibel has permitted that I will become the lord of his land, and I take that role very seriously. I have no real desire to kill the humans who live here.” Mugetsu pauses, and everyone leans forward. “However, I think it is necessary to send a message about what it means to live in our kingdom, and what I expect out of them.”

Mugetsu folds his arms behind his back and paces across the dais, his eyes fixed on his people. “I’ve heard things about the former king that makes _us_ look civil.”

“What the fuck?” The lanky demon from this morning demands. “What’d the fucker _do?_ ”

“That is not important. But it is important that we reassure the people that his actions are not to be a standard during my rule. So we will burn his body today, and the bodies of the fools who dared to attack us in an dishonorable fashion.” Mugetsu lowers himself into the throne properly, and Sosuke feels a frisson of _something_ in the air. “This will officially begin my reign as king of this land. And as _your_ new king, as well.”

The whoops and hollers that ring through the room at the proclamation make Sosuke’s eyes widen, but he only bows his head in respect and says nothing. He does startle slightly when Mugetsu’s hand lands on top of his own, picking it up out of his lap, holding it across the armrests of their thrones, lacing their fingers together. His skin is so warm, and the contrast of his black fingers against Sosuke’s own is interesting.

“I have one more thing to announce,” Mugetsu says, and the room falls silent. “You will remain respectful to the former queen and prince of this land. It is Halibel’s order that they are to remain in the palace, and you will treat them with kindness.”

“Ya marrying him, King?” another demon calls out, some of the others whistling in answer.

“Perhaps,” Mugetsu merely says. “Now, let us prepare the bodies for burning.”

Sosuke waits until the room begins to empty before turning to Mugetsu. “Perhaps?”

“I did not stutter, Sosuke.” Mugetsu raises one dark brow at him. “Unless you protest?”

Huffing, Sosuke jerks his hand back, smoothing down the fabric of his sleeve. “I don’t recall you talking over that announcement with me before making it. Was it even necessary? Does it matter so much to your men who you wed? That seems unimportant.”

“Of course it matters to them.” Mugetsu’s smile is slow, thoughtful. “How intriguing.”

Gin loops his arm together with Sosuke’s and rises. “Let’s go, Sosuke. It’s gonna be bloody and it’s gonna smell bad, but you’re gonna see a proper demon burial for an enemy.”

Mugetsu vanishes further into the palace and Sosuke pays no mind to his disappearance, his brain turning around that single word and the way Mugetsu’s men reacted to it. _Perhaps?_ Was he considering it, or was this a game for him? Damn the bastard and his cool and collected attitude, the way he managed to hold himself together in such poise while managing to undo all of the poise Sosuke himself was holding. What did Mugetsu think of him? Why would he tell his men he was _thinking_ about it in such a way?

His hand is still warm from the brief moment it was clasped in Mugetsu’s own.

There is a large pit dug into the ground and surrounded with heavy stones, and Sosuke stands off to the side with Gin and Tensa, watching as Mugetsu and his men emerge from the palace with at least half a dozen wrapped bodies thrown over their shoulders. Most of the crowd are other demons, but there are plenty of Yhwach’s own men mixed in, messengers from other palaces who were caught in the crossfire, a few visiting nobles. Sosuke can see the horror etched into their faces, but he feels… Almost nothing.

The bodies are unwrapped and dismembered. Not with swords or blades but with bare hands, and Sosuke’s eyes widen at the sight. Grimmjow yowls with joy as he sinks his claws into a shoulder, ripping it from the socket, bone snapping and flesh tearing. Ulquiorra is silent in comparison but no less brutal, digging his fingers into a throat until the flesh gives and blood gushes over his hand, dripping sluggishly from the wound.

They save Yhwach for last. Sosuke recognizes the body of each would-be assassin as it’s torn to pieces, thrown into the pit, leaving space in the center. Mugetsu remains standing, watching, a wrapped body draped over his shoulder until he drops it without any kindness, kicking the sheets away. The sheer amount of holes in Yhwach’s body is staggering.

And most of them were not there when Sosuke saw him the first time.

“This was your king.” Mugetsu places the black of his boot firmly on Yhwach’s head, holding eye contact with the crowd as he raises his leg and stamps down. The _crunch_ is startling. “ _I_ am the only king you will ever have. Anyone who stands against me will meet this fate.”

Sosuke watches as Mugetsu slowly and methodically, taking his sweet time, rips Yhwach’s limbs off. He remembers the first time his arm had been broken. He remembers being on his knees, reaching for Gin and sobbing that he would _never_ run again, begging for Yhwach to understand that he was scared. That he only wanted his best friend to be safe. And he remembers the wrench and blacking out from how sudden and sharp and overwhelming it was to have the bones shattered, leaving his arm all but useless.

The memory has him stepping forward without realizing it, Gin’s arm falling away from his own until he comes to stand at the corpse. Mugetsu, kneeling now, looks up at him. There is blood splattered on his face and it matches the terrible red of his eyes.

“I want.” Sosuke stops and swallows, but raises his chin. “I want something.”

Mugetsu nods once. “Tell me what you want, and it will be yours. You’re owed that much.”

His own hand spasms as he presses it against his chest, remembering how much he suffered at the hands of a man who swore to Sosuke’s parents that he would take care of him. “Rip his heart out. I want to see it. Put it in my hands.”

“As you wish.” And the crack of rib bones is surprisingly satisfying.

He watches as Mugetsu digs through Yhwach’s open chest cavity until his blood-soaked hands come away with something slick and glistening in the afternoon sunlight. Without hesitation, Sosuke takes it. The organ that kept the man who beat him and brutalized him alive, that remained whole even as his body lost life, even as he broke everything inside of Sosuke and never once seemed to despair about it. And he'd died choking on his own blood, impaled on a demon sword. He deserved that much considering how much hell he’d put Sosuke through during their marriage, and having the bastard dead at his feet is, at least, a consolation.

Mugetsu heaves the rest of the pieces into the center of the pit and stands. “Did you decide if you’d be the one who lights the blaze?”

“I’ll do it.” Sosuke looks up at him, his intense gaze. “Just give me the fire.”

“Trust me not to harm you, Sosuke. Not even my flames will ever singe your skin.” And Mugetsu’s hands come to rest against his own, and the heart catches fire immediately.

Sosuke’s instincts say _drop it_ but he realizes after a moment that the flames are not hurting him. He can feel their heat licking against his skin with no blisters or burns, and he breathes in slowly at the sight, the sensation of it. Mugetsu removes his hands slowly and steps back, head bowed, and Sosuke stares at him for a long, long moment. At this wild, bloody, violent demon king giving him the tools to move on from his marriage.

He hurls the heart into the pit as hard as he can, and everything catches fire.

The demons in the crowd cheer while the humans look visibly disturbed, but Sosuke’s eyes drift toward Mugetsu once more, his heart stuttering in his chest when the demon lord walks toward him. Bloody hands cradle his cheeks and Sosuke shivers at the touch, but the expression in those dark and wild eyes keeps him in place, his hands trembling.

“You continue to surprise me, Aizen Sosuke.” Mugetsu brushes a thumb along his cheek and Sosuke drags his teeth across his lip at the delicate touch. “Your fellow mortals are trembling in fear and disgust and yet you stand tall. Is this what you’ve longed for?”

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted him dead.” No one could ever understand. The sheer lack of power, the constant threat of pain, forcing himself to be quiet and submissive…

Mugetsu smiles at him, a true smile, and his eyes glitter. It’s inhuman; it looks as though flame are licking at the insides of his eyes. “If I had known what he did to you, I would have given him to you alive and let you deal the killing blow. I would have dragged out his punishment until he begged for death. No one should tame such a wild and free creature.”

“Who says he tamed me?” Sosuke demands, and he dares to touch Mugetsu back, smearing blood down the side of his face, though it looks more like war paint on his skin.

“Who are you really underneath all of his proper clothing and this regal expression?” Mugetsu demands, and there is something… Different in his voice, a low purring growl that takes Sosuke aback when he hears it. “If I married you, would I get to know? To see who you are underneath all of this? To see the man that survived a pure, living hell?”

Sosuke grits his teeth. “You should want to marry me for _proper_ reasons, you fool.”

“What are proper reasons to humans? Politics? To conceive heirs?” Mugetsu hauls him closer and Sosuke’s breath sticks in his throat as their bodies press together. “Demons have no such responsibilities or cares. We take those as mates that we _want._ A proper reason for my kind would be because I want to see you on your back beneath me.”

The words are jarring and Sosuke reacts out of instinct more than anything else; the wet _slap_ of his palm against Mugetsu’s head snaps the demon lord’s head to the side, a rough ruddy mark appearing on his cheek beneath the smear of blood. For a moment, silence hangs in the air, and Sosuke hugs his stinging palm to his chest, ignoring the way his breath comes out in sharp pants, the way he instantly wants to back down and apologize. His knees quake for just a moment but he forces them to stop. Yhwach is _dead._ He will not quiver in fear any longer, not in the face of anything or anyone. He has a child to protect, and his own pride will not suffer any more blows in the near future.

Mugetsu touches the handprint and tilts his head, his eyes meeting Sosuke’s before a slow, rapturous smile lights his face. “There you are. I knew you were under there somewhere.”

 _What?_ Before Sosuke can say anything, Mugetsu steps forward and then drops to a knee before him, taking the hand Sosuke slapped him with and pressing a kiss to his fingers. Sosuke almost doesn’t hear the crowd rising up in cheers once more around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really do love this au i hope you all know that


	4. Chapter 4

After he has washed the blood from his skin and changed into the dark blue velvet robes Gin leaves just outside of the bathroom door, Mugetsu joins with Shiro and Ulquiorra waiting for him at the entrance of the bedroom. The mark on his skin still smarts and though he could heal it with nothing more than a thought, Mugetsu lets it stand and rolls his eyes when Shiro snickers at him, lounging easily against the wall. The discomfort in his pinched expression is still visible, though; the prince had collapsed after the display and Sosuke had taken him to the medical wing, intent on none of them following.

Gin had gone, of course, but Mugetsu does not begrudge such a thing. Let him do as Sosuke needs him to as long as Sosuke is comfortable and safe within these walls.

“Some of Yhwach’s men would like to meet with you, Mugetsu,” Ulquiorra tells him. “I have already spoken to the woman who is responsible for medical care here to ensure that she would treat the queen and the prince well. She was not loyal to Yhwach.”

“Good. That saves me the effort of having to replace her. Who else am I meeting with?” Mugetsu asks, and Ulquiorra turns to lead them down the hallway.

“Right,” Shiro says. “So, the general of his army, we killed. Slip of the hand, ya know how it is. But the man who served directly beneath him wants to talk to you. He wasn’t loyal to Yhwach, either. Seems a fair few of his men were never on his side.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. They probably only climbed the ranks they did in order to get closer to him so they could kill him themselves.” It was admirable if it was true considering the sheer amount of influence and power Yhwach had. It was nothing compared to a demon, but many of his men had been glad to fight to the death in his name and nothing else.

Mugetsu pities them. They should have had a more proper ruler than the one they had.

Ulquiorra tilts his head. “The man’s name is Bazzard Black, and the man directly beneath him, Cang Du, is with him. The two of them are currently the leaders of Yhwach’s military, or what remains of it. They want to know what to do next.”

“I’ll gauge their level of prowess in battle and decide if we need them. Probably, we should keep them on reserve as our initial forces.” Not having to expend his own men under any threat would be useful, after all, and the humans beneath Yhwach would owe them that.

“I have kept Jugram Haschwalth contained but alive as he did not present himself as a threat to any of us and because of his reaction when the queen entered the throne room,” Ulquiorra adds, and Mugetsu raises an eyebrow at him. “Ah, my apologies, you would not have learned his name. Jugram Haschwalth is the name of Yhwach’s right hand man.”

“His aide or something,” Shiro adds, and Mugetsu remembers the man, then.

Though he had fought to protect his king, there had been no emotion at display until Yhwach had fallen, and even then, his true emotions had shown themself when Sosuke stumbled into the throne room. Was he loyal to his queen, then? It would make him useful, so Ulquiorra was right to keep him alive. Luppi had easily defeated him and kept him from interfering in the true battle, so perhaps he was not much of a fighter.

_ Politicians, _ Mugetsu thinks, disgusted, shaking his head at the notion.

Ulquiorra clears his throat. “Nnoitra is waiting with Bazzard Black. Szayel is still interrogating men in the basement of the building. Apparently, there was an extensive torture chamber, and he has decided that he would keep it for himself.”

“That’s fine. I don’t mind if Szayel indulges himself as long as he remembers to let me hand him the victims.” After all, Szayel had shown quite the gift for extended torture.

Shiro clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “How you figure that kid grew up all soft in a place like this? Every single part of this fucking place is drenched in blood and Yhwach executed people in the throne room constantly. How could his kid be soft?”

“I wonder that myself,” Mugetsu confesses. “Sosuke was not unmoved by the display, but he joined in. Perhaps not to the degree we did, but still. Tensa seems inordinately gentle.”

“From what I have been able to glean from gossip and from discussing these matters with the women who work within the castle, it is because Sosuke raised him almost entirely on his own,” Ulquiorra says, and really, Mugetsu should not be surprised to hear Ulquiorra has been joining in on gossip. He lives for information, and you only know what is useful if you know everything so you can pick through it as necessary. “He has always been gentle because Sosuke’s existence has allowed him to grow up in such a fashion.”

Shiro snorts and shakes his head. “I have a hell of a hard time believing that a man like Yhwach would just let his kid grow up like that. How’d the queen get away with it?”

“You mistake how strong our queen is. He is still strong-willed even after living in such a place,” Ulquiorra says, and Mugetsu smiles softly, hiding it behind his hair.

“What’re you smiling about?” Shiro punches him in the shoulder and Mugetsu returns the blow without hesitation; his younger brother would do well to remember to stay in line. “I fucking knew it. You’re soft for that human, aren’t you? You’ve never let a single goddamn soul join in when you’re ripping someone up. Every time I offer, you snarl at me.”

“One time, he implied that if you drew any closer to him in the moment, he would make you a part of the pyre,” Ulquiorra muses, and sometimes, once in a while, Mugetsu hates him.

Shiro cackles but nods, catching Mugetsu by the arm to stop him. “So what gives? He’s pretty, I’ll give you that, but Yhwach kept a lot of pretty men in this castle.”

“Aizen Sosuke intrigues me,” Mugetsu tells him, smacking his hand away. “Let us go meet with these military men, and— Has  _ anyone _ been able to find our resident spies?”

Ulquiorra smiles thinly. “Ah, yes, they are waiting with the military. It was their choice.”

To ensure the successful siege of the kingdom, Mugetsu had selected two members of his stealth forces and sent them into the castle with the intention of them hiding in the shadows and using their proximity to the king to tell Mugetsu everything he needed to know. When they next reported to him, both of them had joined the military forces, able to easily infiltrate due to their inhuman strength, though they reeled it in just enough to seem as useful human soldiers and nothing more than that. They had made the choice of their own volition but Mugetsu hardly minded; he encouraged his men to think for themselves and, should they discover a better way to do things, to do it properly.

The room Ulquiorra leads them looks like it used to be a meeting room for Yhwach and his men but his own have turned it into chaos, predictably. Nnoitra lounges on top of the long table, his head propped up on one arm, chatting happily with Tesla sitting in front of him. When his eye drifts toward the door, though, he sits up and smiles broadly.

“King,” he crows, and Mugetsu smiles in greeting, “I’ve got great news. We got an army.”

“So I’ve heard.” Mugetsu’s eyes drift toward the two white-garbed men sitting at the far end of the table, sitting shoulder to shoulder, and his own two men next to them. “As Nodt, Nianzol, thank you for your efforts. You have done us a great service.”

When As Nodt smiles, it is disquieting considering the lower half of his face is hidden behind a mask, though Mugetsu highly doubts he could have masqueraded as a human with what is beneath. “Thank you, Sir. We worked hard to obtain useful information for you.”

“It was a fun change of pace.” Nianzol can’t quite help slurring his words, tongues lolling out of his mouth as he grins. “It’s good to have everyone here, though.”

“I’ll reward both of you well for your hard work.” Mugetsu takes his seat at the head of the table, eyeing the two men next to them. “What are your summations of these two?”

As Nodt inclines his head slightly, dark eyes sweeping over the men seated next to him. “They are not loyal to Yhwach. They obtained their military positions in order to grow closer to him and had been planning to do such for a very long time. Though I doubt they would have reached that goal on their own, it is an impressive feat to come so far.”

“We could have.” The man who speaks is all muscle, broad shoulders, his head shaved save for a stripe of bright magenta hair running the length of his scalp. “Even if it killed us, we could have done it. With Jugo’s help, we were almost close enough to take him out.”

Nianzol pats him on the head, a condescending touch. “It is adorable that you believe that.”

“We tried.” The second man is slimmer, mouth scarred, eyes solemn beneath a mop of messy black hair. “Maybe we couldn’t have succeeded, but we still tried.”

“What role do you see for yourselves in my kingdom? You will answer to my own men, of course.” Mugetsu tents his fingers in front of his mouth, watching their faces carefully for reaction to his words. “You cannot measure up to my men. Surely, you see that now that you have seen As Nodt’s and Nianzol’s true power revealed. They were not my military force prior to coming here. They were stealth, meant to cling to the shadows.”

He notes the moment the color drains from the dark-haired man’s face, his head inclining so that his eyes meet As’s. “Is that true? I knew you were powerful, but… Fuck.”

“Indeed.” As pats him on top of the head. “I told you that I would surprise you, still.”

_ Interesting, _ Mugetsu thinks. “However, it would be a waste of valuable resources to have all of you killed or dispatched from the military. If you would be willing to serve as our first defense, then you may remain in your positions. Does that suit the two of you?”

“It was what we expected.” The man with magenta hair slowly rises to his feet and then bows, and Mugetsu feels the corner of his mouth twitch when the other man rises to do the same. “Bazzard Black and Cang Du at your service. The military that still lives will follow us, and you. You killed most of Yhwach’s loyal men yourself in your siege.”

“Is that so?” Mugetsu asks, though his words are aimed at his own men.

Nianzol nods, wiping a trail of drool from the corner of his mouth. “Yes. A hell of a lot of ‘em gave up as soon as ours showed up. They didn’t wanna fight for Yhwach.”

“Good to know. We may be able to use the others then. The two of you are dismissed for the time being. I will meet with your forces soon enough to discuss what you will be doing moving forward.” Mugetsu leans back in his seat, not missing the way Grimmjow stretches out a hand, yanking Bazzard Black’s jacket as he walks by, a playful smile on his lips.

“Incorrigible,” Ulquiorra murmurs from his place behind Mugetsu, shaking his head at the display, though there is no denying the fondness in his eyes that is always present for his mate. “I should have known better than to let him walk into this room.”

“You would know. You mated with him, didn’t you?” Mugetsu tips his head back and Ulquiorra scowls down at him. “I’ll leave you in charge of figuring out how to configure them exactly since battle tactics are your favorite hobby. What do you think of them?”

Ulquiorra hums softly. “I think that if As and Nianzol believe we can use them and that they will be useful to us, then they are probably correct in that assessment.”

“Good to know.” Mugetsu leans back, props his feet up on the table. “So, let’s discuss this kingdom. Those of you in this room are my most-trusted men. You always have been. You’re entitled to whatever you want, but I imagine most of you will want to remain in the palace.”

“It  _ sucks, _ ” Grimmjow tells him. “It’s so fucking closed-off and dark.”

Nnoitra rolls his neck, peering at Mugetsu from his place on the table. “I gotta agree with him on that one. That fox, can he do interior design? ‘Cause this fucking place needs some goddamn windows. And I hate the white. It’s too fucking cold.”

“I can make some decorative changes,” Findorr says from his seat, his feet propped up in Ggio’s lap. “As long as I’m allowed, that is. The structure of the place is sound, so carving out windows should be easy. Color change is  _ so _ much easier than that.”

“Black, preferably,” Grimmjow calls out. “And red and maybe some blue. Nothing light.”

Mugetsu could make a remark or two about the fact their primary concern is what the palace itself looks like, but he is hardly surprised when it comes to them. None of his men care about politics, and now that the battle is over and this is their new home, they want it to be proper. Halibel’s palace is all inlaid blue marble, every shade from pale cornflower to a blue so deep it could be black in the shadows. It reflects the sea next to her home.

“King,” Yylfordt calls out, standing just behind Grimmjow. “Are you gonna marry the queen or not? And how are we supposed to address him until you do, or I guess if you don’t?”

“Yeah.” Nnoitra’s head swings back around once more. “You gonna fuck him? For that matter, Tesla and I were talking about it, and he’s human, ain’t he?”

“Sosuke is human,” Mugetsu confirms. “Why are you asking? I thought it was clear enough.”

Ulquiorra steps closer to him. “I was part of one of those conversations, Mugetsu. Aizen Sosuke is indeed human, but unless our biological understanding of human men is no longer up to date, then it should not be possible for him to conceive and carry a child. I thought, at first, that perhaps Tensa was not biologically Sosuke’s own, and I asked around. Everyone in this palace remembers when he first conceived and his resulting pregnancy.”

Mugetsu presses his lips together; he hadn’t much thought about it. He had accepted at face value that Tensa had two fathers and no mother because such a thing was not uncommon amongst his kind, but it should have been one of his first questions.  _ How preoccupied was I with him that I missed this obvious thing? _ “I should have thought of that on my own. I was short-sighted, but you are corrected. Human men cannot.”

Nianzol clears his throat loudly. “I already got an answer for you, King. When we came here and heard about it, we were confused. And we did receive an answer about it.”

“Not that the answer makes sense,” As says smoothly, “because we haven’t been able to find true proof that such a thing could be real. There are supposedly others like Sosuke, though they are rare, and women who are of the opposite role.”

“You’re avoiding telling me,” Mugetsu says. “Do you think I will not like your answer?”

As snorts. “My lord, I don’t think you’re going to believe it. I, myself, am uncertain.”

“You know how religious most humans are. They seem to be of the opinion that humans like Sosuke are in some way divine.” Nianzol raises his hands, as if asking Mugetsu to understand the situation and their lack of belief. “But they think us unholy monsters instead of just creatures who exist. I don’t think that gives them much credibility.”

“Divine,” Mugetsu says slowly, testing the word out on his tongue and finding it lacking.

Ulquiorra clears his throat. “I inquired about this from Giselle Gewelle, the healer here, as she is very skilled despite her young age. She has encountered others like the queen in the past, but there is not much in the way of an explanation present. They simply explain it away as a connection to the divine, which makes humans like Sosuke very… Valuable.”

Mugetsu scoffs in disgust. “So that was how their marriage was arranged. He was bought.”

“Yes. I do not know the finer details, but Aizen Sosuke was never here by his choice and would likely have never been able to lead a life of his own volition.” Ulquiorra rests a hand on his shoulder, and Mugetsu pats his, though his mood feels in danger of sparking into a raging inferno at any moment.  _ Sosuke would have lived a whole life with no choice. _

Nnoitra makes a dark noise in his throat. “So I guess I’m glad we showed up and killed all these assholes and their king. So what the fuck happens now? Are you gonna marry him?”

“Not against his will.” Finally, Mugetsu has an answer for his men, and one that will likely satisfy their gossip. “If Sosuke was never going to have a choice in his husband or the life he would lead, it would be wrong of me to force him into a marriage he does not want.”

“Guess you’re just gonna have to win him over the old-fashioned way,” Grimmjow muses, blue brows darting up as he speaks. “We’ll be pulling for you. That slap was pretty fierce.”

Nnoitra grins, all sharp teeth. “The perfect man is one who can keep you in line, right?”

“That would be the truth,” Tesla says, and Nnoitra croons at him, dragging himself across the table so that Tesla can run a hand down the side of his face. “Yylfordt did ask how we are to address the queen until the day comes that the two of you are wed.”

“When did I say I was actively going to try to seduce him?” Mugetsu demands.

Tesla stares at him placidly and blinks once. “My lord, I would follow you to the ends of this world and onto the next if you asked me to. I have known you most of my life. You cannot pretend that you do not want that human at your side for the rest of his life.”

“It’s none of our business, perhaps,” Ulquiorra muses, “but you do want him. I know it.”

“We  _ all _ know it,” Shiro says immediately, and Mugetsu scowls at him. “It’s  _ fine _ to want him. He’s a pretty human who slapped the hell out of you and I know that got you going. Remember when Nel tried to stab Halibel the first time the two of them met? It’s natural. ‘Sides, he’s better off with you than anyone else at this point.”

Mugetsu has to concede that point because no one could want to protect Sosuke more than him now. “We should get on to more important matters while we are having this meeting.”

“How are we addressing the queen, then?” Shiro asks him, raising an eyebrow.

“As the proper queen. You will not have to worry about having to transition should we end up marrying after all. Address him with respect, do not physically touch him. If you harm him, I will turn you over to Szayel for punishment.” That alone makes several of his men blanch and Grimmjow makes a discontent noise in the back of his throat, giving his head a quick shake. “Treat him as you would me. It should make things easier.”

Grimmjow tips his head back. “Damn. I gotta say I didn’t expect we’d be following a human, but I guess that’s fine if he’s important to you, Mugetsu.”

“There is another item we should discuss,” Ulquiorra says. “More gossip, perhaps, but I think not. This was told to me by Yhwach’s former interrogator, Berenice, whom I relieved of her position since we have Szayel. There is something in the northern caverns that he was guarding, and I believe we should send someone to investigate and uncover what it is. If it is dangerous, we should neutralize it. If it is useful, we should take it for ourselves as it now belongs to us. But it is up to you to decide what to do, of course.”

Mugetsu rubs a hand over his jaw, pinning his eyes on Nnoitra, who grins at him. “You up for a little game of hide and seek? I want it brought back, whatever it is.”

“Of course.” Nnoitra sits up, stretches his arms over his head. “Weasel, where are the caverns located specifically? Do you think you could find them in the dark?”

Nianzol nods immediately. “I’ve guarded them in the past. They are about a weeks’ travel away from the kingdom, so it should only take us two nights to get there and back.”

“Good. Go tonight and secure whatever it is that Yhwach saw fit to hide. You can take Tesla with you,” Mugetsu holds up a hand when Nnoitra grins at him, “ _ if _ you can get back in two nights. Any further delay, and I will be displeased. Do I make myself clear?”

Nnoitra sighs at him. “You’re no fun now that you’re king. I get it. I’ll behave.”

“Good. Are there any more issues we need to discuss?” Mugetsu asks his men.

After the meeting, he travels across the castle to where the healers’ rooms are located; Tensa is lying in the bed furthest from the door and Sosuke sits at his side, his son’s hand held tightly in his own. The black robes are now gone, replaced with a stunning jewel red that takes Mugetsu’s breath away from just a moment before he smoothes out his countenance and approaches them. Gin is nowhere to be seen.

“How is the prince?” he asks, sitting on the edge of the empty bed beside Tensa’s.

Sosuke sighs softly, brushing his son’s hair off of his forehead. “Still unconscious. It frightened him quite badly. He’s not a violent soul. Having him come was atrocious.”

“My apologies, then. I’ll apologize to him properly when he awakens.” Mugetsu clears his throat and Sosuke looks up at him, lips pursed, eyes furious. “You have every right to be angry with me, but I think it best to have this conversation with you now.”

“What is it, your  _ Majesty? _ ” Sosuke asks, his tone falsely pleasant.

_ So when your child suffers, you regain yourself even further. _ “It was brought to my attention by my men, and it escaped my notice, that you are somewhat of an anomaly. You birthed this child from your own body, did you not? And that is not typical of human men.”

“I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve always been this way.” It sounds like a sore spot from the way Sosuke tilts his head, gripping his son’s hand tighter. “It was why I was chosen to be Yhwach’s queen. He had no interest in women and needed to secure an heir. Though I don’t know why he bothered, it was never as though he was affectionate with me.”

Mugetsu takes a slow, deep breath and nods. “Well, I want you to know that in knowing this information, I’ve made a decision on whether or not I’ll choose you for my bride.”

“Of course.” Sosuke laughs dryly, shaking his head. “You wouldn’t want a queen that can’t give you a child, right? I suppose it was only a matter of time until you—”

“Stop that train of thought.”  _ Do you truly think of me as despicable as him, or are you incapable of seeing anyone as anything but now? _ “I have come here to tell you that I will not push the issue. If you choose to become my queen, it will be your choice. I will not make it for you. Taking your free will from you does not interest me.”

Sosuke presses his lips together, staring hard at him. The set of his jaw does not soften, and Mugetsu wonders what he must be thinking. “I do not understand you. Why does it matter to you? It didn’t matter to anyone before now. I was an object from the moment I was born, destined to be sold off. It was my destiny. How does it mean so much to you when it didn’t matter to a single human that I’ve known my entire life?”

The question begs an answer but the moment Mugetsu opens his mouth, Tensa stirs on the bed, whimpering softly as he raises a hand to his face. With a flick of Mugetsu’s head, the curtains in the room slam shut, cloaking the room in shadows far more pleasant to wake up to than the afternoon sun. Pale blue eyes slowly feather open, long lashes fluttering as Tensa opens his eyes and looks up at his father. Relief shows in his gaze.

“Darling.” Sosuke drops his hand to lean over him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “I’m glad you’re all right. I shouldn’t have let you come for that particular ceremony.”

Mugetsu clears his throat. “It is my fault. I should not have requested your presence after you made it clear that you are not attracted to the idea of violence. It will not happen again. Are you well? Is there anything that I can retrieve for you?”

“Oh, um… No. I’m fine.” Tensa looks at him from the safety of his father’s arms, gripping one of Sosuke’s arms tight with his hand. “I’m sorry I’m not… Tougher, I can’t be, I’m—”

“It is fine.” Mugetsu stretches a hand out, brushes the boy’s hair out of his eyes, feels Sosuke go tense. “You are as you are, and as long as you are happy this way, that is all that matters. If you want to live a nonviolent life, you should be able to do such a thing.”

Tensa nods, and the hand on Sosuke’s arm tightens. “It’s just, I grew up watching Father being… I can’t approve of it, not after that. It’s not right, no matter how it’s justified.”

Mugetsu nods, though speaking is difficult for a moment.  _ How much did you see, child, for you to have gained this view? Far too much. You will never see it again. _ “I understand your point of view better now, Tensa. And I am glad that you are well. Shiro has been very concerned about your well-being, though I couldn’t tell you exactly why that would be.”

“He’s… I know he’s your brother, but he’s very strange,” Tensa says, and Mugetsu smiles and nods. “I don’t think I understand him at all. I don’t think that he understands himself.”

_ If you had known him prior to now, you would be surprised to see him protecting a human as well. _ “Well, at the very least, I can promise you that he will never harm you. I have given the official order to my men that you are to be properly treated as the queen and prince of this kingdom, as if you were my son and your father was my bride.”

Tensa’s face drains of color. “Are you going to marry him after all?”

“No.” What has this child  _ seen? _ Surely nothing that would not drive Mugetsu to a new level of complete and homicidal rage. “Your father will not be forced into any marriages or bonds or relationships that he does not choose for himself. Neither will you. My brother will watch over you, and I will watch over your father. You two are truly safe now.”

He is not expecting the moment the boy throws himself from Sosuke’s arms and against Mugetsu’s chest, but his reflexes are excellent and he catches Tensa before he can slip off of the bed and hurt himself, standing quickly to halt him. Delicate hands fist in the material of his robes at his back and Tensa openly sobs against his chest, a sound that wrenches something deep between his ribs. The blue eyes that peer up at him are wet with tears and Mugetsu thinks he  _ finally _ understands why a parent would be moved to such anger and violence over the protection of their child.

“Thank you,” he says. “I couldn’t stop him… I couldn’t protect my father and I just. I don’t ever want to see him hurt like that again. Ever. That’s all I care about. I—”

“Hush.” Mugetsu thumbs away a tear just before it can fall, smoothing his fingers through Tensa’s soft hair. “There is no reason to cry. You both are safe. I will see to it that this remains so no matter what it takes. Rest with that reassurance.”

Tensa presses his face against Mugetsu’s chest and the lets the boy cry against him, catching Sosuke’s face over the top of Tensa’s head. The relief there is palpable but he can also see the guilt and extends a hand automatically, satisfied when Sosuke takes it.

“It is not your fault,” he says, and Sosuke looks up at him silently. “You did what you could for him. No one can fault you for how much pain you endured to keep your son safe.”

Sosuke smiles thinly and nods, his head falling, and his shoulders sag. “I know. Thank you.”

The first person foolish enough to harm either of these men will die at Mugetsu’s feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the whole "aizen can conceive and carry children" thing goes somewhere i promise
> 
> also //cups hands around mouth// as nodt and nianzol are so valid. they're my favorite sternritter up there with bazz honestly like... as nodt is a creepy goth with no lips who turns into a giant bloody monster and nianzol is a literal kamaitachi with two tongues (at least i think that's the point like... his power is wind and his last name sounds like weasel so i'm valid)
> 
> they're demons bc like... i love their physical appearances and you can't justifiably go around saying "yeah this dude with no mouth who turns into an eldritch being and this dude with two tongues are normal humans" and i love them as they are


	5. Chapter 5

Sosuke does not expect to see a multi-limbed demon riding atop a large boar-like creature when he steps outside to take a breath of fresh air. Just the same, he does.

He recognizes the first demon, the startlingly tall and slender demon who had come to retrieve Mugetsu for the ceremony. Seeing him up close is different than seeing him for only a moment in which Sosuke was focused on nothing but his child and Mugetsu. His hair is just as long as Mugetsu’s if not longer, a dark fall of black down his slender back and falling over what appears to be a patch over one eye. He has a total of six arms which seems unlikely but is nevertheless true, four of them gripping the hide of the beast he rides on while the other two are perched on his slim hips and what appear to be curved horns rising from his dark hair, the tips a deadly point.

“Where the  _ fuck _ are those two?” he demands, his gaze pinned on some distant place. The creature beneath him— which Sosuke  _ must _ be hallucinating, because such a creature cannot possibly exist in such a large shape— grunts softly up at him. “I  _ know _ that, but—”

The demon cuts himself off when his head turns slightly to see Sosuke staring at him from just beneath the stone awning that casts deep shadows leading up to the doors of the palace. His one visible eye is a pale lavender, a beautiful shade for someone with such sharp and pointed features, and then he slides off of the boar’s back in one graceful movement that has Sosuke taking a step back when he realizes he’s being approached.

Though he says nothing, the demon seems to realize Sosuke is unnerved, stopping and instead holding up a hand. The boar walks toward him, pressing its snout up against his palm. “Ain’t gotta be scared of me, Queen. King’s told us we’re to treat you well.”

“I was… You’re a very unique looking creature even for a demon,” Sosuke admits, and the demon makes a noise in the back of his throat. “Was that offensive? I didn’t mean—”

“You can just say I’m a freak. I know.” The demon grins at him, showing off impressive teeth as the strokes a hand along the boar’s snout. “I’m Nnoitra Gilga. This is Tesla Lindocruz. He usually doesn’t look like this, but I don’t like riding horses.”

“I didn’t mean to say that you were a freak.” Sosuke takes a step forward once more and extends his hand instead, determined not to look frightened in the face of one of his people. After all, even without the marriage, he is the proper queen of this kingdom.

Nnoitra studies his hand for a moment before taking it in one of his own, long slender fingers that feel impossibly fragile against Sosuke’s own. Silver bangles around his skinny wrist jingle softly with the movement. “Ain’t mean you didn’t think it. I don’t care. You have any idea how many men I can kill with this many arms? It’s a fucking gift.”

“I see.” Sosuke watches the boar press its snout to Nnoitra’s side. “You said… Tesla?”

“Mhm. My mate.” When Sosuke makes a small noise in the back of his throat, Nnoitra throws his head back and laughs, and the sound is cruel. “He can shapeshift, Queen. He usually looks like a man like you or me, though shorter I guess. But like I said, I don’t do horses. Tesla’s the only steed I’ve ever trusted to get me anywhere.”

“Apologies, Queen,” the boar rumbles, and Sosuke’s eyes widen at the voice, at the depth of it. “I can show you more properly when we return from our mission to the north.”

Well, it could be stranger. Kitsune can transform into foxes; Sosuke had carried Gin home in his arms when the two of them first met, after all. “What mission to the north?”

“King said there’s something up there we need to bring back to him, so that’s what we’re going to be doing for the next two nights. Should be fun. I fucking love traveling.” Nnoitra tilts his head, plants a kiss on the boar’s— on Tesla’s— head. “Especially with this idiot. Any idea what might be up there yourself? Yhwach probably didn’t share that shit lightly.”

Sosuke shakes his head. “No. Most of his dealings were outside of my control, and so I know nothing about them. I wish you luck in finding whatever you’re looking for as quickly as possible, though. And that no one is injured in the process.”

“Anything that injures me has to kill me to keep me down.” Nnoitra yanks open the front of his shirt with two hands, showing off an impressive scar on his chest. “See this? Bastard who left it on me ain’t alive anymore. It takes a hell of a lot to keep me down.”

Tesla rumbles in agreement. “To be fair, though, Nnoitra, I am the one who killed him.”

“Damned right you are.” Nnoitra pulls himself up onto the boar’s snout, gripping one tusk to keep himself balanced, and it seems like it would be uncomfortable but Tesla seems perfectly happy just like this. “You’d be surprised, Queen, at how loyal a good demon can be, I think. You probably grew up hearing all sorts of wicked stories about us.”

There was no denying that, nor the fear he felt when he realized who had seized their kingdom. “Gin has taught me plenty. I am learning more with all of you here, though.”

“We’re only mean to those who are mean to our own,” Nnoitra informs him. Sosuke believes him, considering the sheer amount of bloodied holes in Yhwach’s corpse.

“How long have the two of you been mates? That is, admittedly, a concept that I don’t quite understand. Mugetsu has made it clear it’s not like human marriage.” At least, not like the one Sosuke had with Yhwach, but that was hardly a  _ choice. _

Nnoitra cocks his head. “Your fox didn’t tell you something as simple as that?”

“No. To be fair, I never asked, and I don’t believe Gin has a mate of his own.” And if he does, Sosuke knows nothing about it and likely would have met him by this point in time. Wouldn’t he have shown his face? “Would you like to explain it to me?”

Nnoitra tilts his head, then heaves a sigh. “Might as well since those fucks are taking so long. Tesla and I have been mates for the last five hundred odd years or so. There was someone else before him, admittedly not the best man I could’ve ended up with. Tesla killed him to win me over. You don’t mate unless you mean it because it’s meant to be forever. I know humans get married over shit like politics and dissolve marriages but we don’t really believe in that kinda shit unless it gets abusive.”

“Human marriages can be just as permanent. We just don’t… Live as long.” He has no idea why he feels the need to object at all. It is not as if he wanted his marriage to last.

“Ain’t the same, Queen. Mating for us is a soul-deep bond. Tesla could be anywhere in the world and I’d be able to feel him.” Nnoitra shifts his body, stroking multiple hands over Tesla’s head, over his ears; Tesla makes a contented noise and closes his eyes. “Can’t ever lose each other. Hurting each other, you can feel that shit deep in you. Breaking his heart would break mine. It’s a serious fucking bond, you get what I’m saying?”

_ Soul-deep? Such bonds exist? _ Sosuke blinks up at him. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand.”

“Probably not. Even if King married you, it wouldn’t be the same. Ain’t an offense, of course, just the truth.” Nnoitra straightens up, then pulls himself up onto Tesla’s back, who doesn’t seem to mind that Nnoitra uses his head as a foothold at all. “Well, I see my men. Gotta go, Queen. Have fun while we’re gone.”

Sosuke watches as Tesla trots across the yard toward where two other demons are waiting, mounted on horseback; the horses seem perfectly calm in Tesla’s presence but the size difference is startling, almost humorous. Sosuke smiles at the sight and shakes his head, his hand wandering up to his chest, rubbing over the center of it. Soul-deep? Sharing each other’s pain, likely sharing each other’s joy? No wonder Mugetsu had made it clear he was not interested in doing such a thing unless it was for the right reasons.

_ Even if King married you, it wouldn’t be the same. _ The thought has the smile slipping from his lips. If Mugetsu married him, would he be denying himself that kind of lifelong bond?

“Ya look like ya got a lot on your mind, my love.” Gin’s sudden appearance is not exactly shocking anymore, nor is the casual way he wraps an arm around Sosuke’s waist and kisses him on the cheek. “Did someone let you in on something unpleasant, hmm?”

Sosuke looks at him. “Does Mugetsu not have a mate of his own? Isn’t he very old?”

The ever-present smile on Gin’s lips, surprisingly, dims. “Ah, so that’s what you were talking to our lovely mantis about. Nah, he doesn’t have one. I’ve been asking around.”

“I suppose such bonds must be rare even among your kind who live for so long.” The slight sting in his chest grows and he tries to ignore it. If Mugetsu has no partner, that is his concern and no one else’s. Not Sosuke’s, certainly. “Perhaps the reason he’s chosen to delay marriage is because he wants to give himself as much time to take a mate as possible.”

The smile on Gin’s face vanishes entirely. “What do you mean, delay the marriage?”

“It’s inevitable, of course, but he’s told me he won’t marry me until I make the choice for myself. Someone has told him how I was chosen for Yhwach’s bride.” The thought should be more upsetting, but Sosuke knows how commonplace the knowledge is in this kingdom. Many of Yhwach’s men know. It was why they guarded him so fiercely even though, clearly, there were plenty of them who wanted to end his life if given the chance.

“Ah. That one’s something, isn’t he?” Gin’s fingers card through his hair and Sosuke leans into the reassuring touch. All of his life, he’d been taught demons were monsters, and yet the one who treated him with kindness has always been Gin. “I think you can trust him. And I doubt he’s waiting for his mate to appear mysteriously in front of him.”

Sosuke says nothing, merely taking Gin’s arm when it is offered to him and walking down the steps toward where the military guard is training. Mugetsu should have a proper demon mate is the bond is so important, and Sosuke feels terrible at the notion that the chance could be snatched from him if he agreed to this marriage. Perhaps he made such a deal to ensure he would not have to worry about making the choice himself, certain that Sosuke would never want him and therefore would not push the subject.

Should he simply never choose Mugetsu, then? And live his life freely after all?

“Good morning, my queen!” The voice startles him quite badly and he swings his head toward the training ground to see Cang Du addressing him. The familiar face is a welcome sight given how many of Yhwach’s men were killed. “How are you on this fine day?”

Smiling softly, Sosuke nods. “I’m quite well, Cang Du. How goes training? It appears as though his Majesty has chosen to allow all of you to remain in your positions as soldiers.”

“Within reason.” The voice is Bazzard Black’s, and Sosuke hums softly. “We’re happy to fight no matter how we’re fighting. You’re looking well. How is the prince?”

_ Ah, it’s refreshing to speak to those who do not despise my presence here. _ “He is quite well now. It was merely a fright for him. Are you not loyal to Yhwach, then?”

“Never.” The sound of Bazz’s voice is venomous and he shakes his head sharply. “We only tried to climb the ranks to kill him. I’m sorry we didn’t get the chance, but I’m glad the bastard is dead. I didn’t realize you were really friends with a fox. I heard rumors, but…”

Gin wiggles his fingers in greeting. “Nice to meet you. Ah, where is the lovely As?”

_ As Nodt? _ Sosuke frowns at the mention of the young man’s name, remembering the one soldier who always kept half of his face masked for what he claimed were health reasons.

“Reporting to his Majesty before he rejoins us,” Cang Du says. “He and Nianzol are going to be more or less officially leading us now, but that’s fine. They’re better soldiers than we are with their powers. I gotta say I didn’t expect them to be spies. They’re so… Plain.”

Gin titters softly and wags his finger. “Ah, but that’s why they were such good spies.”

_ Spies. Of course. _ “I was not aware we had spies among the soldiers.”

“From what we’ve gleaned from them, they weren’t supposed to be soldiers. They were supposed to try to work in the palace or something, but they decided to be soldiers instead.” Cang Du shrugs a shoulder, and Sosuke supposes it must not matter much to him because he ended up on the winning side. Maybe to someone like him, the details do not matter overly much. “They did a good job, at any rate. We’re all here now.”

“I suppose so.” Sosuke smiles kindly at him. “So we’re all happy with the changes so far?”

Bazz nods. “Yep. Thanks, your Majesty, for not wanting to fight. I think it saved all of our lives. I’m not exactly keen on dying with a bastard like Yhwach.”

“Sosuke did a lot to protect all of you, you know. I know my kind. They would have killed anyone that was necessary to kill.” Gin smirks at them and Sosuke notes the moment when both of them shudder, wondering why Gin feels the need to inflame them in such a way. Is that his nature, the one Sosuke has never had turned on him? “You’ll do well to make sure that no harm ever comes to your queen as a result. Isn’t that right, boys?”

“Yes, Sir!” The trills are automatic. Sosuke is impressed with them.

Gin slips away from him, approaching a soldier standing not far from the two of them, a slender man with pale golden hair almost as light as his skin. “My, my, I don’t believe that I’ve seen a human as pretty as you before. What’s your name, soldier?”

“Kira Izuru.” The soldier— Kira swallows hard when Gin takes a step closer to him, walking around him in a slow circle like a predator circling his prey. “Y-you’re a kitsune—”

“Ichimaru Gin,” Sosuke interrupts helpfully, and Kira looks toward him with wide, startled eyes. “Yes, he is a kitsune. He is a dear friend of mine, so there’s no reason to be afraid of him. Gin, what are you doing? You’re going to frighten those who are here to protect us.”

Sighing, Gin steps up behind Kira, dropping his sharp chin onto Kira’s shoulder. “Can’t I make friends? You’ve already got so many of my kind dazzled.”

“I’ve done no such thing. They are all kind to me because of Mugetsu’s influence.” That much, Sosuke knows his true. Mugetsu told them all to behave, after all.

Kira clears his throat, and Sosuke glances at his face. “Your Majesty, if I may… I cannot speak for the other demons who now inhabit our lands, but As Nodt and Nianzol Weizol have always been fond of you. They were speaking to one another freely while rounding all of us up and they were happy that you had survived the siege.”

“As always said nice things,” Cang Du admits, fingers tapping against the hilt of his sword. “So for what it’s worth, your Majesty, there are at least three demons on your side.”

“Four,” Gin intones softly, and Sosuke frowns at him. “You forgot his Majesty.”

Not wanting to keep them from their training any longer, Sosuke takes his leave and Gin redirects them, leading them toward the gardens with a smile spread across his face. The gardens of any large manor have always been one of Gin’s favorite locations as he loves flowers and Sosuke humors him, letting his head fall against Gin’s shoulder. Would he ever be as comfortable with a husband as he is with his best friend? He doubts it.

“Ah, what lovely gardens,” Gin muses. “Maybe I should just move my bed out here.”

“I rather like having you in the room with me. It adds a layer of safety to my personal quarters,” Sosuke says, and Gin flashes him a grin, all teeth.

“Ya can just say ya like having me near when it’s dark.” Gin presses that grin against the side of his neck and Sosuke laughs, smacking him on the arm and shrieking laughter when Gin’s slender, clever fingers find the spaces between his ribs and press into the most ticklish parts. It’s the motivation he needs to rip himself away and run.

They used to play like this as children and Sosuke had no idea how much he missed it, the wind whipping through his hair as it falls loose from where it had been tied back. He weaves through the trees and the plant life here, and Gin gives chase, always letting him get just enough ahead that Sosuke just feels the pressure of fingers around his wrist, skimming along his spine, but never quite touching him. Giving him incentive to run faster.

Gin is a predator, this Sosuke knows. He still remembers the initial fright when he met Gin, prying him out of the trap despite the pain in his hands, the blood dripping from his fingers. But he is playful first and foremost, always close by, a step or two away but never enough to close the gap. He knocks into a flowering tree branch to send petals tumbling over Sosuke, pulling a shriek of laughter from his throat as they cloud his vision.

“Ya can’t run forever, Sosuke!” Gin reminds him. “I’m going to catch you soon!”

Sosuke laughs at him. “I’ll believe it when you properly manage it, Gin!”

“Naughty human mouthing off,” Gin teases him, lunging forward, just missing again.

He likely would have been punished for this under Yhwach’s rule but the man is not here, so there is nowhere to yell at him when Gin snaps a tree branch in an effort to shower him with plum blossoms, a surprised yelp leaving his throat when it comes down on top of him.

It is when Sosuke turns back to see where Gin is, throwing himself around a thick growth of flowering bushes taller than he is, that his body slams into something hard and warm.

A startled yelp leaves his lips as he falls, losing his footing in the lush grass. When he whips his head back around, cringing and flinching as he prepares himself for the fall, he finds his hands pressed against a broad chest. Arms slip around his waist just as the impact jars him, but he has the brief sensation that it should hurt him much more than it does, that the body beneath his must have taken so much of the impact.

He pushes himself up and freezes when he finds Mugetsu lying beneath him.

“Hello, my queen,” Mugetsu says smoothly, his voice soft as he gazes up at Sosuke. “My mistake for not making my presence here known. You sounded like you were having fun.”

“I ran into you. I’m sorry.” His breathing comes a little more labored from the running, but his arms remain strong as he stares down at the demon beneath him.  _ He has such lovely eyes, truly, just like rubies. _ “I didn’t injure you, did I? You took most of the impact.”

Mugetsu shakes his head, and Sosuke realizes there are hands still pressed into the small of his back, their embrace unbroken. “You could never hurt me. Are you injured?”

“No. Not at all.” Sosuke swallows, shifts a little to make this position more comfortable, and ends up straddling his waist. “What are you doing in the gardens?”

“Having a breath of fresh air. Findorr and Ggio are currently canvasing the palace to decide where they are going to open up the new windows to let in more light. Do not be shocked if everything changes color, as well. It is within their power.” Mugetsu says all of this in such a calm voice that Sosuke finds it impossible to really question this. Of course the demons wish to change the palace. It is their home now, and Sosuke imagines none of them live in such closed-off, pristine spaces. “Your color is high.”

“I’ve been running from Gin. We’re playing a game.” It seems to childish to say aloud.

However, Mugetsu smiles softly up at him. “I’m glad you are enjoying yourself. Would you like me to give the two of you some privacy? I can return to the palace.”

“You should be able to enjoy your gardens, Mugetsu.” The offer reminds Sosuke that he had asked this creature a very important question and had never received an answer. “I asked you earlier why you viewed me in a way that no human has ever been able to.”

“Ah, I remember. Tensa woke up and there was no chance to speak frankly on the matter.” Mugetsu’s fingers slip around his waist, tracing patterns on his skin through the fabric and making Sosuke shiver faintly. “You asked why I see you as more than an object.”

He nods. “I did. I want to know what your answer is. It’s important to me.”

“The idea that the free will of a living person was taken from him because of the unique circumstances of his birth are infuriating to me. I will not replicate such disrespect on your person. Forcing you to marry me would be no different than Yhwach buying you from your family.” Mugetsu’s hands are so warm that Sosuke can feel them through the soft velvet of his robes, branding his skin. “If you wish to marry me, I want you to be the one that chooses such a thing. If you want a different partner, I will allow you to take a consort to the queen. If you should decide to remain alone, that is your choice.”

“Are you going to actively attempt to court me?” Sosuke asks him, aware that he can feel the steady beat of Mugetsu’s heart beneath his hand, thumping against his palm.

Mugetsu blinks up at him, slow and languid movements that make something in Sosuke’s gut twist. “Perhaps. Ah, but you and Gin were playing, and I’ve interrupted.”

“He’s caught under a branch still or he would’ve come to see where I’m hiding.” Sosuke looks toward the castle, then back down to Mugetsu. “If you want me to choose you, then you should work for it like any other suitor would. It is the only proper thing to do.”

“If I want you to choose me,” Mugetsu echoes. “Have I told you that’s what I want?”

The question gives Sosuke pause and he feels an uncomfortable twist in his chest at it; he never stopped to ask Mugetsu what he wanted but now hearing him phrase it in such a way makes him wonder if Mugetsu might not be interested in him after all. “Perhaps I should have asked you. Do you have an interest in me, or is it only—”

One of the hands at his waist flutters up, dark fingers pressing gently against his lips to silence him, and Sosuke’s hands quiver slightly against Mugetsu’s chest. “You are a beautiful and fiercely protective human. Of course I am interested in you, Aizen Sosuke. If you wish me to court you properly so that you can gauge my worth as a suitor, then I will do that. Such a simple request should not be one you are afraid to ask for.”

“I see.” He speaks the words against Mugetsu’s flesh and a part of him feels a tiny thrill at the thought that Mugetsu  _ does _ want him. “I should have been more honest with you, then. I was able to give birth to Tensa, but I nearly died in the process, and I was never able to conceive after that. If you want a mate who can bare you children, know that I cannot.”

Mugetsu’s hand drifts to cup his cheek and Sosuke curses himself for leaning into it so readily, but touch… Has not been friendly for most of his life, and Mugetsu has been kind to him. “I do not mind. Your child is beautiful. Your ability to bear offspring is not a primary concern of mine as it stands. My primary concern is only your happiness.”

It would be so easy to doubt those motivations but Sosuke cannot for the life of him ever remember anyone speaking such words to him other than Gin, and Gin has always been his friend. Yhwach never made such promises. From the moment the two of them met, he made it clear that Sosuke’s use would be in bearing him heirs and warming his bed, that he had no desire for a partner and would not dote on him or care for him. It might have been an arrangement Sosuke could live with as long as Yhwach had never hurt him, but he had, and that had made every moment spent in his presence an unbearable hell.

“Ah,” he murmurs, “but what about you, my lord? I spoke with one of your men today. It illustrated clearly to me how important these mated bonds are to your kind.”

Mugetsu’s brows draw together slightly. “What do you mean?”

“Do you not wish a mate that can live the long span of your life? I was told that you can bond in such a way that allows you to sense one another, to feel one another’s pain and joy.” Sosuke traces his fingertips over Mugetsu’s chest where his heart beats most firmly. “I could never give you such a bond. I’m only a human, after all.”

The other hand at his waist moves, catching him by the wrist, drawing his hand up to Mugetsu’s lips where the demon presses a kiss to his fingers. “I do not care. I will show you that through my actions if you wish. You are right here before me. It would be foolish to throw away such a chance at a bond for a fantasy that may never come to pass.”

He sits up with little warning, and Sosuke shifts back a little further to put space between their bodies, aware of just how close he is. It’s hard, though, because Mugetsu still holds his wrist and face and moving away from his touch is more difficult than it has any right to be. He can justify that, though. Having lived a life where all he did was suffer and ache and bleed, he can’t help but find the merit in such gentle touch, caresses of his skin that have him shivering. There is no cruelty in the way Mugetsu touches him.

“You have flowers in your hair,” Mugetsu muses, and Sosuke smiles briefly at the thought.

He stretches a hand up toward his hair, brushing his fingers over one blossom before he plucks it free, tucking the pale white petals amongst the darkness of Mugetsu’s hair. “There,” he says triumphantly. “Now we match one another.”

“So we do.” Mugetsu tilts his head, presses his lips against Sosuke’s palm, breathing warm against his skin before kissing him. At the same time, his thumb just nudges the curve of Sosuke’s lower lip. “You have the softest-looking pink lips. They look like flower petals.”

Gin crashes through the brush behind them and Sosuke jumps out of Mugetsu’s lap, half-twisting around to see Gin shaking leaves and twigs out of his hair and clothes and tails. “Honestly, Sosuke, you got  _ lucky _ this ti— Am I interrupting something?”

“We were having a conversation. You look as thought you were attacked by a very determined tree.” Mugetsu pushes himself to his feet and walks past them, pausing to brush a flower from Gin’s hair. “Do as you wish, but make sure the two of you come to bed at a reasonable hour. It is for the best that everyone has adequate rest.”

As soon as Mugetsu leaves the area, Gin turns to Sosuke with wide eyes, bright blue irises visible. “The two of you were having a moment and I did interrupt it.”

“It’s fine, honestly.” Sosuke hugs his hand to his chest, remembering the soft brush of Mugetsu’s lips against his skin. Every hard of him is hard with muscle and his hands were rough with calluses from fighting and wielding his impressive sword, but his mouth… “We merely needed to clear up a misunderstanding. Now, with that—”

He plucks another flower out of his hair, tosses it in Gin’s face, and takes off when Gin swears and dives at him, skin flowing into soft silver fur. The game will keep his mind off of the inevitable moment when night comes and he finds himself retiring to bed with Mugetsu once more, imagining those arms wrapped around him, keeping him safe.

Why had sleeping in a bed with him seemed so much simpler when he was still certain Mugetsu was going to use him like everyone else always had?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fucking trips and spills multiple agendas all over the place


	6. Chapter 6

There is something to be said for the excite with which Findorr and Ggio alter the palace.

Mugetsu runs into them various times throughout the day, watching them using their combined abilities to influence the white of the marble to bleed to more appropriate colors. It is occasionally alarming to hear their laughter echoing through the halls, but this is usually followed by the preface of something cracking or slamming, meaning they must be doing some work on increasing the amount of windows in the palace. He lets them do as they please, not too bothered one way or another what this palace looks like.

As long as his men and Sosuke are happy with the changes, nothing else matters to him.

_ How will I court you, Aizen Sosuke? _ The question comes back to him time and time again as he investigates all of the private offices and rooms Yhwach has kept. The largest where Gin had been contained appears to be nothing more than the absolute basics, the books lining the wall of no interest to Mugetsu, but perhaps they may be to Sosuke. Should he give him this room after he twists the metal of Gin’s former cage into nothingness?

By the time he finishes digging every single report he can find out of the expanse of the palace, he sets them all on the sprawling desk and seats himself behind it to begin going through everything. When Ulquiorra joins him, he knows this means that one of his most loyal men has noticed what he was after today and, as always, wants to assist.

“Shiro has escorted the prince back to his private quarters so he may rest for the duration of the evening,” Ulquiorra informs him, sitting on the other side of the desk and helping him organize. He never has to ask, always seems to know. “I believe the boy will be fine, though he is obviously exhausted by the entire ordeal.”

“I’ll have to make sure he’s not present the next time I choose to set an example. At any rate, Sosuke has been in much better spirits today.” Hearing the sound of his laughter had been the sweetest music Mugetsu has ever heard, and he has heard some impressive work.

Ulquiorra hums softly. “Tensa is a gentle human, but he is not without his benefits, I believe. He seems to be very intelligent, so it may be likely he chose to pursue the arts in lieu of being a monster like his dead father. Your brother seems attached to him.”

“I noticed that. He doesn’t like humans typically.” Mugetsu leans back in the chair, watching as Ulquiorra skims and sorts paperwork like it is second nature even though, until he joined Halibel’s kingdom, he had been a loner with no reason to develop such a skill. “He usually kills them. When I saw Tensa unconscious over his shoulder, I thought he might have struck him. Has he happened to mention  _ why _ he finds him so interesting?”

“He has not. However.” Ulquiorra neatens a stack of papers and looks at him with those piercing eyes of his. “If I had to guess, I would say that he might be enamored with the idea something so gentle and beautiful could have grown in such a poisonous, rotten garden. When the soil is barren and the plant life is dying but there is one lovely flower…”

Mugetsu snorts softly. “I don’t think Shiro would like you comparing him to someone who admires flowers, but you may be correct. Anomalies have always truly interested him.”

“Shiro prides himself on being strong enough to overcome anything that should come his way. Perhaps he is searching for someone worthy of his devotion and protection?” Ulquiorra shrugs and begins shifting the piles around, as if trying to find the perfect form of organization. “Most of us crave an equal. Maybe Tensa would be his equal intellectually.”

“The question then becomes, is Shiro smart enough to realize such a thing if it were true?” Mugetsu muses, and he smiles when the corners of Ulquiorra’s lips twitch.

Pale fingers smooth Ulquiorra’s expression back into place. “You are cruel to him, Mugetsu. What would you do if he wanted to pursue Tensa in a romantic fashion?”

“He would have to earn that of his own accord. I would never let him do it if Tensa himself did not want it.” Mugetsu picks up the first stack of paperwork, frowning when he realizes these are prison records. Though the dungeons had been emptied, Mugetsu supposes he should familiarize himself with Yhwach’s methods so he does not repeat them even by accident. “What do you think Sosuke likes, on that note? If I were to court him properly?”

A voice he is not familiar with answers him before Ulquiorra has a chance. “His Majesty loves the gardens, though he was forbidden from spending much time in them by Yhwach. He also excels at calligraphy and likes to read poetry.”

Mugetsu glances up toward the doorway to find Jugram Haschwalth standing there, perfectly put together though with visible dark circles beneath his eyes. Ulquiorra had kept him away from the others and must have let him out just recently; the speed with which the man had composed himself is impressive, a reminder that some humans are hardy after all. When he lifts a hand and beckons the man into the room, Haschwalth bows his head and walks up to the desk, standing just to the side of Ulquiorra’s chair as if not to crowd him and to let him leave at any moment he should wish.

_ Very professional, _ Mugetsu thinks. “Are there poetry books in this personal library?”

“There are. Most of them are very valuable because they were collected to make Yhwach seem impressive.” Haschwalth bows deeply at the waist before straightening once more. “My apologies for not coming to attend to you sooner, your Majesty. Unless you have a particular task you would like to assign me to, I would take my place as your aide.”

Mugetsu considers. “I don’t think I necessarily need one. Why don’t you serve Sosuke?”

“If that is what you wish, I would be glad to assure that his Majesty has everything he should ever need.” Haschwalth bows his head, but Mugetsu is no fool and sees the relief in his eyes. He would be much more comfortable around the ruler he already knows, the human he already has an attachment to. “I will, of course, not tell him about this conversation so that you can properly surprise him with your courting gifts.”

“Good man. Did Yhwach give him anything to court him?” Mugetsu asks, skimming the prisoner notes with a sinking, twisting feeling in his gut.  _ He could accomplish this level of cruelty, and he was only human? No wonder the humans here fear us. _

Haschwalth is quiet for a moment before he clears his throat. “His Majesty was not courted, to my understanding. He was sold to who offered the most for him.”

“Sold.” Ulquiorra exhales slowly. “As we heard, then. Humanity is… Deeply flawed.”

“I wish I hadn’t been so hasty in killing him. I would put these records to shame, but I suppose I can make peace with it if only because Sosuke can be at peace now.” Mugetsu throws the stack down, thoroughly disgusted not only with the level of cruelty but with the pettiness of some of these crimes.  _ Is this how you earned loyalty, Yhwach? _

Slowly, Haschwalth nods. “This will have been the first time His Majesty has experienced any level of freedom to my knowledge. He was paid for when he was but a young child.”

“Fuck.” Mugetsu leans back in his chair, staring up at the high ceiling above him— Already dyed a deep black veined with red. “Why would humans subjugate one another like this?”

“I couldn’t tell you. His Majesty loves the gardens, as I said, and this window overlooks the gardens.” Haschwalth walks toward the window, pressing his hand against the glass. “He would love it here, I believe. There is so much light in this room. It is so bright.”

Mugetsu taps his chin thoughtfully. “I’ll have that window converted into a balcony and he can add whatever he wants to this room. I’ll have it set up with locks and give him the only keys so he can have whatever measure of privacy he wishes.”

“Will the flowers grow up around the balcony like the ones in your hair?” Ulquiorra asks.

The question startles Mugetsu but then he remembers the flower Sosuke had tucked into his hair while sitting in his lap, the one he left in place because it was like carrying a small piece of him. When his fingers locate the blossom, however, he frowns, fingers tracing what feel like small vines winding through his hair.  _ What is this? _ He searches through the drawers of the desk once more— Yhwach must have been a vain man to keep a mirror so close at hand but it comes in handy to allow Mugetsu to view his reflection properly.

Though the flower placed in his hair was a white flower— he remembers thinking Sosuke looked particularly pure, showered in pale whites and pinks— the petals have changed in color, a pale yet vivid violet. The torn stem now has thin green vines, not quite roots, sprouting out from it, winding their way through his hair as if to secure its place there.

Other flowers have bloomed from the vines, though, creating a loose crown of blossoms.

“There was only one flower,” he says, and Ulquiorra tilts his head. “Sosuke put one flower in my hair. And it was a white flower. What do you think caused this?”

“Perhaps it is a trick of his fox friend,” Ulquiorra muses. “He seems to have a very interesting taste for aesthetic and color, so I would not put it past him. He could have enchanted the flower when you last saw him. It looks… Oddly pretty like that.”

Mugetsu puts the mirror back in the drawer. “This does seem like something Gin would do to amuse himself. I’ll make a note to tell Findorr to redo the window.”

_ And yet I feel like Gin was not the one responsible for whatever this is supposed to be. _

It takes the better part of the afternoon to go through all of the paperwork Yhwach amassed in his time here, and by the end of it, Mugetsu has burned more than half of it. None of the trade agreements save for a few will be salvageable under his rule anyway, and none of those that are crooked are of any interest to him. True power should be gained through honest means, not by cheating and swindling. If one cannot achieve that power on their own, they should always work harder toward it and build themselves up higher and higher until they can grasp it with their own hands. That has always been his philosophy.

He burns the prison records for obvious reasons and wonders why there was no one down there deserving of such punishment. Had Yhwach let the most dangerous members of his kingdom walk around on the surface level? Mugetsu thinks it may be likely.

The reports on very staff and soldiers he keeps, discarding of those that are of no use to him, such as those of all the men they killed on their way in here. By the timehe has everything neatly filed away, it takes up one single drawer of the desk. Sosuke can have the rest of it if he wants it. Mugetsu has no use for an office of this magnitude.

What would he even hope to do with such a place? He does not lounge about and read.

“This kingdom may be salvageable yet,” Ulquiorra says, rising to his feet, stretching his wings outward as he stretches his arms upward. “Now, if you don’t mind.”

He leans across the desk and plucks a flower from Mugetsu’s head, his expression stoic.

Once the paperwork has been handled, Mugetsu sends Haschwalth off to find Sosuke and do whatever it is Sosuke wants him to do, intent on touching base with the rest of his men and seeing where they have ended up in this palace. He gaze the dungeon to Szayel and imagines he will make good use of it but he also hopes that Szayel remembers his healing skills are just as important and that he will touch base with the palace’s healer, Giselle Gewelle, so the two of them can work on some kind of partnership together.

Luckily, he finds both of them in the dungeon, Szayel having swept an entire table clean of equipment to spread a series of charts out on it. Giselle pours over them with him.

“Is everything going fine down here?” Mugetsu calls out, sighing when Szayel only scowls at him. “I ask you a simple question and you act like I have interrupted grievously.”

“You could have, my lord, you don’t know— You have flowers in your hair.” Szayel stalks across the dungeon to look more closely, peering over the top of his glasses. “These are very unusual flowers. Where did you get them? What is their source?”

“The kitsune was playing a game,” Mugetsu says, and Szayel looks surprisingly crushed.

“That’s too bad. It’s not often these show up where any of us can see them.” Szayel steals one, carries it back to the table and sets it in front of Giselle. “Do you see this? They’re rare blooms. I’ve only seen them grow in a few places in the world. They grow in Halibel’s gardens, but they were not here. I checked for them out of curiosity.”

Giselle cocks her head, picking the flower up to examine it beneath the harsh light in the room. “No, we don’t have anything like this here. I used to take breaks in the gardens and I became well-acquainted with all the flowers there. What does it mean?”

“It’s a symbol more than anything else, but it’s associated with only the most royal of demons.” Szayel’s voice takes on a dream-like quality at this.

Mugetsu frowns at him, plucking another one of the flowers and examining the petals; it  _ is _ reminiscent of what had grown in Halibel’s gardens, now that he thinks about it. He never thought much of them or paid any attention to them because he was usually only in her actual court for orders or rest before he went out once more into battle. Had Gin perhaps seen them somewhere before he met Sosuke? It was possible. Kitsunes tended to be some of the longest-lived of their kind because they specialized in treachery and trickery.

Was it meant to be a commentary on his position as king? He would have to ask the kitsune the next time he saw him. Mugetsu had no such gifts when it came to plant-life.

“It’s a very good imitation, if that’s what it is,” Szayel says. “It’s identical to a true one.”

Dropping the bloom in his hand on Szayel’s desk, Mugetsu shrugs at him. “You can ask Gin yourself if he’s seen these before. Rare though they might be, he’s likely lived just as long as any of the rest of us, so it’s possible he’s come across them before.”

“You didn’t know what they meant?” Szayel hums thoughtfully, eyes him up and down in a way he knows is less than charitable. “But then you’re a warrior. Not a botanist.”

“You’re correct. I don’t pay much attention to flowers or their meanings. I merely know the garden here is in good health.” Mugetsu glances around the dungeon, noting that all of the cell doors and walls have been removed so that the space is open and empty. “I see you’ve been doing some renovation of your own. What are you going to do with this space?”

“Unless you tell me I can’t, I’m going to use this as my work space. I’ll, of course, handle any prisoners as necessary, but I don’t think we need such a large room.” Szayel lifts his chin in challenge but Mugetsu only shrugs.  _ Do what you want, Szayel. _

Giselle looks up at him, picking up a lock of her hair, curling it around her fingers. “Did those flowers bloom because you’re the king now? Is that how it works?”

“No, no,” Szayel says, and the expression on his face tells Mugetsu this may very well be one of his favorite topics after all given how quickly he returns to it with such fervor. “Any of our kind can be considered royalty but supposedly in the very beginning of our time, whenever that was, there were demons that were stronger, more beautiful, and more talented with magic than any of the rest of us. These flowers were their symbol and grew wherever they resided as a symbol of their power and grace.”

“Supposedly? So is it just a story, like a myth?” Giselle asks, looking up at him, plucking up one of the flowers and sitting it in Szayel’s hair with a playful little smile.

To that, Szayel hums. “Well, we have the flowers, so who knows? It could be a myth, but they are still here, and they grow in Halibel’s garden. She is a queen of exceptional power and strength. I am inclined to believe it may be the truth after all.”

“Whether it’s true or not is immaterial. Gin clearly did this because the flower that was placed in my hair was not like this one. He simply changed its appearance.” Should he be flattered? Is it a tease, then?  _ It would be just like a kitsune to imply that I am not gifted enough to be worth such a flower, but did he think it would upset me in some way? _

“Perhaps. He truly is a gifted fox.” Szayel gestures to the charts in front of him. “I have blueprints here if you want to review them, but if not, I’ll get started right away.”

“I’m going to help. I find science so fascinating,” Giselle says with an honest smile.

Mugetsu nods. “Szayel, I trust you. Do as you please. You’ve well earned it. Just be aware that you will likely need to tell Findorr and Ggio not to touch your space.”

“Of course.” Szayel turns back to his desk, and Giselle turns back to it with him.

Entire parts of the palace have already been remodeled so that it looks like two structures have been crudely smashed together, but Mugetsu pays it no mind and accepts it as being merely what must occur for his men to be happy here. He does stop when he hears a familiar voice nearby, though, pausing to follow it down a hallway of personal bedrooms. His men have taken this hall, have taken  _ most _ of them given he told them they could.

The bedroom at the end of the hall is the largest and the most opulent and is already changed, inlaid with blacks and blues and greens that are reminiscent of the two men sitting on the bed. Ulquiorra is sitting, at least; Grimmjow lies across his lap, stretched out on his stomach with his folded arms pillowing his head. Much of his long blue hair has been gathered up and braided with some locks yet to go, small white flowers woven into the braids. Grimmjow must be aware of what Ulquiorra is doing; the thought that he allowed it makes Mugetsu smiled softly. The two of them were together when he first met them.

Though he pays no heed to finding a true soulmate of his own, he knows the two of them are a perfect example of what such perfection in a bond can aspire to become.

“I could braid a crown of these flowers,” Ulquiorra says, reaching into the basket at his hip to retrieve another flower. “I could make it so that it fits neatly against your ears.”

“Mm, sounds pretty. I deserve a crown.” Grimmjow’s tail flicks lazily on the sheets, snowy white against the black and blue, a sharp contrast to the pale green of his ears, soft and fluffy against his hair. A color not far off from the lightest parts of Ulquiorra’s eyes.

Ulquiorra combs his fingers through Grimmjow’s hair, spots Mugetsu in the doorway and brings a single finger to his lips before he returns to braiding. “Do you think you would be a better king than Mugetsu? I was under the impression that you loathe responsibility.”

“Tch. Fair enough. I don’t wanna be responsible if anything goes wrong.” Grimmjow yawns, his lips pulling back from his teeth, revealing the bared points of his fangs. “I kinda like just lazing around not doing anything until I gotta. I like quality time with you.”

Pale fingers trace a down from Grimmjow’s jaw up to the sweep of his ear. “Should I give you the cubs you’ve been asking me for to help you occupy your time when you’re bored?”

“You should, yeah. You  _ promised _ that the minute we settled down you would.” Grimmjow mewls audibly when Ulquiorra strokes his ear. “Little cubs with wings like yours.”

“We wouldn’t be able to keep up with them if they had wings. They would fly away. Or fall out of the sky,” Ulquiorra chastises, but Grimmjow only huffs laughter at him, mewls louder when Ulquiorra continues caressing the soft fluff of his ear.

Mugetsu quietly steps away, shaking his head at the two of them as he goes. He knows Grimmjow wants cubs, had overheard that conversation as well; Ulquiorra did not want to raise a family until they had settled down as a unit and had a proper home, not keen on hauling a pregnant mate or infants around into a battlefield. Having this palace as their home means that all of the mated pairs who had been holding off on having children until precisely such a situation finally had what they had long been waiting for.

Children had never been a thought. Having them was never something he concerned himself with. As a general, his mind was on fighting, on where the next battle was and who the next enemy to crumple at his feet would be. He trained with one of the most deadly blades among their kind specifically to make sure he would never be beaten.

Had Sosuke wanted the child he had? There was no mistaking their love for each other, the way Sosuke doted on the boy and cooed over him, but had he chosen that for himself? Would he have wanted to have more children, if the choice had been his?

_ There are advanced healing techniques among our kind that could restore your body to you if it has been damaged, _ he thinks, rounding a corner and making his way down to where the quarters of the royal family are kept.  _ I will have to remember to broach the topic should it come up. Perhaps he wants more children, but not with a man such as Yhwach. _

_ With me? _ He frowns at himself. No need to be egotistical. Sosuke could have children with anyone he chose to have children with regardless of who that person was. As long as they treated him well and those hypothetical children, Mugetsu would not mind.

He sees that Tensa’s door is standing open just enough to peek inside and so he does, recognizing the rough cadence of his brother’s voice. “Ain’t had any suitors? Bullshit.”

“I don’t see why you would doubt me on this, Shiro-san. I would surely know if I had any.” Tensa sounds exasperated but not truly upset. “I was glad for it. There was not a single person in this entire kingdom that interested me. It was better to have no one pursue me at all than have someone do it and for my father to decide he wanted that marriage.”

Silence, then, “I suppose so. Still feel the same way with us shaking things up?”

Tensa scoffs. “If you are asking if I find any of your kind attractive, do not flatter yourself. I will rush into nothing with anyone no matter how attractive that person may be. It takes more than looks for me to be drawn to another individual.”

“You’re really telling me you’d date someone who looked like a fucking dog if they had a shining personality? Don’t think so, prince— That hurt! What the fuck!” Shiro demands.

Mugetsu tilts his head slightly and that’s when he sees the two of them— Or their profiles at any rate, Shiro bullied into sitting down in a chair while Tensa runs a brush through the length of his hair. Keeping white hair clean is already a challenge given their typical line of duty was battle, and brushing it? Impossible. Shiro let it tangle without any thought, but it appears Tensa has decided to take it upon himself to sort that out. What intrigues Mugetsu is that Shiro appears to be  _ letting _ him. Even with his exclamation, his hands are digging into the arms of the chair, his spine ramrod straight. He hasn’t tried to smack the brush out of Tensa’s hair or ripped away from him to put distance between them.

“Stop being a child and sit still.” Tensa returns to running the brush through his hair, and Shiro lets him. “You let it tangle so horribly. Have you thought of tying it back if you have no desire to care for it? Or better yet, you could just cut it shorter—”

“I  _ like _ it long,” Shiro says, sounding all kinds of petulant in the process.

Tensa sighs at him, holding a lock of hair tightly in one hand while he runs the brush through the ends. “Well, then why don’t you let me braid it for you? Plenty of warriors braid their hair once it gets so long. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about brushing it. Take it down to wash it, and I’ll braid it back again for you. That’s simple enough.”

“Does the pretty prince care about my  _ appearance? _ ” Shiro asks, and Mugetsu doesn’t miss the way Tensa’s entire body stiffens. “If you have something to say, you can always—”

Instead, Tensa returns to brushing his hair with quick, measured movements. “I have nothing to say to you about such a topic. You are crude to me. You are unkind. You dance along the knife’s edge of being acceptable so that your brother does not need to reign you in because it hurts your pride. I will not raise to your bait because of such a thing.”

“Got me all figured out, huh?” Shiro croons. “Why’d I take up being your guard, then?”

Tensa is quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. You frightened me so badly the first time I saw you that I passed out. Perhaps it is pity that you feel for me.”

“To be fair, it doesn’t seem like it takes much to make you pass out,” Shiro quips, but Tensa only continues to brush his hair. “Takes an awful lot to rile you up, though, nothing’s working. Tell me what you really think. You’re smart, right? I know you have some ideas.”

“I assume it’s because you want to make lascivious comments at your leisure toward someone you know they will get a rise out of,” Tensa says dryly.

Mugetsu smiles faintly.  _ You have Sosuke’s personality hidden under those layers, don’t you? _

“Have I made any yet, though?” Shiro asks, and Tensa falls quiet once more. “What can I say? Someone like you should be dead in a place like this. Yhwach probably wanted you to be as tough and strong as he is, and you’re not. Not even close. It’s interesting to me that someone so weak could survive when everything about him says he shouldn’t have.”

“You don’t need to guard me in order to ensure you will get an answer to your question,” Tensa says, dropping one lock of hair to gather up another to begin brushing.

Shiro hums up at him, tilts his head back to look up at him, craning his neck in a way that must be painful. “Maybe not. But I don’t mind being close to you, after all.”

“You are a terrible man.” Tensa puts a hand on his head, tilting it forcefully forward and returning to brushing his hair. “No wonder your brother has to keep you in line.”

“Am I really  _ that _ bad?” Shiro teases him, trying to turn his head around again.

“No.” The immediacy of the answer seems to startle even Shiro; Tensa himself looks like he doesn’t want to admit such a thing aloud. “And that is what troubles me so much about you. Now, face forward so I can finish brushing your hair. You’re supposed to be ensuring that I am resting after today, and instead you are pestering me.”

“Fine, fine.” Shiro sits still, and Tensa returns to brushing his hair. Mugetsu walks away.

Does it run in their family, being fascinated by humans that are stronger than they have any right to be, survivors when they should have died? He has no answer to that question, but he finds he wants one. Time will have to tell, he supposes.

After checking in with all of his men and fielding more questions than he wants to, he sits down in his quarters and takes the time to work the vines and flowers out of his hair until he is certain he has extracted them all. Leave it like Gin to think of something so annoying that it would take time to undo. With nothing better to do, he wraps the vines around the edge of the balcony and leaves them to drink in the sunlight. With no roots, they will likely die, but he will not hasten their demise on his own.

Now. Perhaps he can alter the appearance of this bedroom into something more suitable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mugetsu with a living crown of flowers is such a pretty image imo.
> 
> shout-out to emily whose mention of the flowers inspired this chapter and is going to serve as some important foreshadowing for the future! as well as inspiring a sweet scene between ulquiorra and grimmjow. thank you so much for your comments, your support, and the enabling of my ship agendas <3


	7. Chapter 7

When Sosuke was escorted to his new bedroom on his wedding night by the women Yhwach assigned to serve as his handmaidens, he was afraid. Dressed in nothing but a thin robe, sitting on the massive bed and waiting for his husband to come to him for the first time, Sosuke felt cold. He felt alone. The bedroom was the same harsh white as the rest of the palace but felt lonelier. It was a sensation he grew accustomed to as a part of his marriage and waking up with the mattress next to him cold and empty became an expectation.

The bedroom now is all black marble shot through with gold, the large and familiar bed against the wall in matching shades. Somehow, it looks softer and more luxurious from here, as if the pillows are fuller and the bedspread thicker and softer. The posts are slender and more elegant in their new design, gleaming black wood with gauzy curtains tied to each of them, a soft-looking canopy swooping dreamily from above.

“He made you a pretty new bedroom, ne?” Gin teases him, nudging him toward the bed. “Why don’t you try out the new bed, Sosuke? It looks so soft and inviting.”

Sosuke only takes a step forward, a reaction to the pressure of Gin’s hands at his back. “How do your kind do all of this? I’m afraid I just don’t understand how it’s possible.”

“Magic can do a lot of things, my love. The base is all the same, just some physical factors have been changed. Isn’t it beautiful? Can you imagine how the gold is going to catch the sunlight when morning comes?” Gin tilts his head toward the open balcony doors, nose twitching before he creeps across the floor to stand outside.

Ignoring him, Sosuke walks over to the bed, running his hand over the heavy duvet, picking up a corner of the fabric to weigh it in his hands. Not too heavy but with enough weight that he can imagine it lying on top of him, keeping him safe from the chill. The bedding is all reds and blacks, deep shades that remind him of Mugetsu, though he supposes it makes sense given most of the palace had been redesigned in similar colors.

Was it foolish to feel as though the palace was more of a home now, with all of these darker and richer colors? So many new windows had been opened up it seemed there was more glass than marble, and it let in so much natural light it took Sosuke’s breath away.

He looks up when Gin wanders back into the room, a purple flower resting in the palm of his hand. “What’s that? Did you dip down to the garden for a moment?”

“No, my love. Our garden doesn’t hold these kinds of flowers, though I suppose I should have seen it coming with our new lord.” Gin tucks the flower carefully behind Sosuke’s ear, smiling as he stands back to admire his work. “That flower is known among humans as Hell’s Kiss. It’s a symbol of demonic royalty. It grows where they live.”

“What?” Sosuke snatches it out of his hair. “Gin, this is treason. Do no such thing.”

Scoffing, Gin takes the flower back, places it in Sosuke’s hair once more. “Why not? Ya look lovely adorned in violet. Mugetsu will surely appreciate the aesthetic appeal.”

“I haven’t seen him all day since we spoke in the gardens. Do you think he’s all right?” Sosuke sits down on the mattress, startled at just how deceitfully soft it is.

Gin leaps up onto it with him, sprawling out on his back, tails fanned across the bedspread beneath him. “I’m sure he’s fine, just doing his kingly duties and getting things in order. Shiro-chan hadn’t seen him either, remember? He’s a busy man these days.”

That was true; Sosuke had dipped into his son’s bedroom to tell him goodnight and ensure that he was feeling better after the long events of the day, and Shiro had been sprawled in a chair. He had looked strange with his torrent of white hair tamed into a neat braid, but Sosuke said nothing of it, more concerned with his child until he mentioned Mugetsu and Shiro volunteered the information that he had not seen his elder brother since that morning. Sosuke knows he has no reason to worry, given even Mugetsu’s men seem to be vastly more powerful than any of their soldiers, but he worries just the same.

“What did you two talk about in the garden, anyway? I was absent for that conversation.” Gin waggles an eyebrow at him and Sosuke huffs, lying back on the mattress.

“We discussed courtship. As he does want me to choose him as a husband, I told him that he would need to earn that right.” The conversation still sits warm in his chest even though he wishes it would just go away and let him think about all of this logically.

Rolling over onto his side, Gin throws an arm around his waist. “Maybe I should court ya. Give him a run for his money. No one knows you as well as I do.”

“Hush. You know we don’t have such feelings for each other.” Sosuke turns his head and kisses Gin gently on the cheek. “I’ll always be fond of you and view you as my most trusted companion, though. Nothing could ever change the bond between us.”

“And if anything tried, I’d rip out its throat for daring to be so presumptuous,” Gin teases him, kissing him on the tip of his nose with a small cackle.

The sound of footsteps has Sosuke sitting up just in time to see Haschwalth pausing in the doorway, knuckles rapping against the frame before his green eyes rise to meet Sosuke’s own. “My queen, his Majesty requests you in the main office. He wants to speak to you.”

_ The main office? _ The thought makes Sosuke feel vaguely ill considering the last time he was in that location, it was to save Gin from his imprisonment and with the impending assurance that he was likely to be killed by Mugetsu or Halibel. However, he doubts Mugetsu would chance such a thing now and so he rises to his feet, waiting for Gin to stand and offer him an arm, and follows Haschwalth down the hallway.

This late at night, the torch light is low, but there is so much moonlight spilling in through the additional windows that the space seems brightly lit just the same. The ambiance makes Sosuke smile and reminds him of all the nights he snuck out of his home to play with Gin in the garden, drenched in silver light and doing their best to muffle their giggles so no one would hear them. A much larger spill of golden light appears as they round the corner, the office doors swung inward. How many lights does such a room have?

Sosuke’s memories of it are terrible. He never paid much attention to the decor considering his most meaningful evening in that office had ended with the bones in his arm shattered and another piece of his soul beaten and bruised beyond repair.

When he steps into the office properly, though, his hands flutter up to cover his mouth, his eyes widening as he examines the large space.  _ I’m certain it never looked like this. _

The white marble has been replaced with soothing shades that remind him of the garden, a large dark fur rug spread before the hearth where a fire burns, adding to the light and warmth of the room. Though the desk is still in place and relatively untouched, there appear to be several leather-bound books spread across its surface and a handful of boxes Sosuke does not recognize. Standing next to the desk, of course, is Mugetsu.

“Sosuke.” He extends a hand— the black-inked hand that Sosuke is becoming so familiar with. “I haven’t seen you since this afternoon. Have you already seen the bedroom?”

“I have. It’s very beautiful and the bed is so soft.” Sosuke walks across the room, setting his hand in Mugetsu’s, shivering when those dark fingers close around his own.

He sees the moment when Mugetsu’s lips twitch upward into a small smile. “I’m glad. I wanted something more fitting than that burial chamber of a bedroom. Now, about this room. I’ve been told that you enjoy poetry and calligraphy. Is this true?”

“Yes.” Who had told him that? Gin had been with Sosuke all day. “Why do you ask?”

Mugetsu leads him around the desk and pulls the chair out for him, gesturing for him to sit down. It almost feels like blasphemy for Sosuke to do such a thing but he does, eyes darting across the books laid in front of him, the boxes. What are these? Had they belonged to Yhwach? He hoped not. Today was a surprisingly lovely day despite how the morning began and he wants to end it on a positive note, not one that draws him back to his dead husband and forces him to remember all the things he would rather not.

“I want you to have this room,” Mugetsu says. “For reading and for calligraphy.”

For a moment, Sosuke says nothing, his brows drawing together in confusion before he tilts his head back to look up at the demon behind him. “Excuse me, my lord?”

“None of that. You know my name. I would never ask you to use a title when you speak to me.” Mugetsu reaches past him, picks up one of the books, and lays it in front of him. “These have very fine paper in them suitable for heavy inks, so they should serve your purpose well. There are dyed papers in some of the drawers. I took the time to organize them so you could look through them more easily. Does that suit you?”

“You did all of this for me?” The thought is… Alien to him, confounding him more than making any kind of sense. Why would anyone do something like this for him?

Mugetsu picks up one of the boxes and sets it in front of him, lifting the lid to reveal a set of calligraphy pens with beautiful painted barrels. “There are several different nib sizes and designs in each box so that you can change them as you see fit.”

“I don’t understand. Why give me this room?” Sosuke’s eyes dart around the large space. Doesn’t Mugetsu need somewhere of his own to work?

“Because I want you to have a space of your own within this palace. I know you love the gardens, but I do not believe I could successfully restrict anyone from visiting them. However, this room? This can belong to you.” Mugetsu walks to one of the large bookcases that line the opposite wall, selecting a volume from its shelves. “Most of these are poetry books. You can read them to your heart’s content. If you want more, I will locate them.”

He brings the volume back to the desk and sets it before Sosuke, and with numb fingers Sosuke pulls the book closer to him and flips the cover open, fingers stroking carefully over the printed pages and the inked words within. When he first asked if he could read any of these books, he was told they were for the sake of appearances and nothing more, and that reading them would likely ruin them. It was such a small request and yet it had been so cruelly denied, and now Mugetsu is going to give him  _ all _ of them?

“What are you going to read then?” Sosuke asks, his voice light and teasing to cover up for the fact that it feels like his heart is trying to claw its way into his throat.

Mugetsu’s smile is enigmatic. “I was never one for reading myself. Besides, you enjoy it. I want you to have these books. I think they will make you happy.”

“Surely I don’t need the entire room to read and practice calligraphy.” But oh, the  _ temptation _ is there to accept his gift. But what would Mugetsu ask of him if he did?

The price for such a freedom is surely much higher than Sosuke could ever repay.

“Perhaps not, but who cares about a need? This is a gift. I’ve taken the care to place locks on the inside and the outside of the door so that you can keep anyone out whether you are in the room or not.” Mugetsu reaches into the folds of his robes and removes a pair of keys on a slender ring, setting them on the desk before Sosuke. “And these are the only keys to those locks. Not even I will be able to cross the threshold without your say.”

That thought makes Sosuke’s face warm and he presses a hand to his mouth, quickly trying to blink away the tears rising in his eyes at this kindness. “I don’t know what to say—”

“Did ya alter the window, Mugetsu?” Gin asks, and Sosuke frowns, turning to see what he’s talking about when a soft gasp tears its way from his lips. The window is gone.

In its place stand two glass doors opening unto another balcony bathed in moonlight.

“I did.” Mugetsu takes Sosuke gently by the elbow and helps him stand, leading him over to the doors and opening them, allowing the cool night air to spill through the room. “The old window had a view of the gardens, but it was only a view. I thought with this, you could come outside and read some days and enjoy the scent of the flowers if you wish.”

Sosuke notices the same familiar violet flowers curling around the railing and rests his hands among the vines, struggling to gain his bearings. Hadn’t he been told when he was younger that as the queen of a king, he would be given lavish gifts? He would be given baubles and presents and showered in wealth, and yet all he had experienced was anguish to a degree he never could have expected. It seemed so simple, being given a room to himself when the palace is so large and there is so much space that such a thing should be almost expected. Of  _ course _ a queen would deserve some privacy to himself.

But that was not the life he had lived. It was not something he knew how to expect.

Mugetsu stands next to him on the balcony, eyes closed as he tilts his head back toward the moonlight like a flower seeking its pale radiant glow. “I want you to have this room, Sosuke. If you want to make any changes, I’ll make them for you. Or you can ask Findorr to do it if you want someone else to assist. But this room is yours, as is everything within it.”

“I am sorry.” Sosuke wipes away a tear before it can fall. “I want to be more grateful, but I am having trouble processing what you have given me. It is simply too much.”

“No. It is what you should always have had. I’m only giving you what you are due.” Mugetsu’s lips twitch upward in that smile, curious smile again.

Sosuke moves before he can think about it, pressing his chest up against Mugetsu’s back, his arms wrapping around Mugetsu from behind as he presses his face into the back of the demon’s neck. His hair is so soft to the touch, silky and warm against Sosuke’s skin, and he links his fingers together over Mugetsu’s chest. The firm beat of his heart against Sosuke’s palm is impossible not to notice now, a sound he matches his breathing to.

“You are a wonderful man,” Sosuke whispers into his hair. “Thank you so much for his.”

A hand comes to rest on top of his own. “No need to thank me. I enjoy making you happy.”

Sosuke sniffles and allows himself a vulnerable moment here before taking a step back, smoothing his hair back out of his face, his fingers brushing over the flower. Ah, right. “I see your place here has been accepted by our palace grounds.”

“What do you mean?” Mugetsu turns to face him and seems to notice the flower for the first time, fingers brushing the edges of the petals close to Sosuke’s face. “I see that you’ve found one of Gin’s flowers. I wanted to ask him where he’d seen them before.”

Frowning, Sosuke touches the vines wrapped around the balcony. “Did he make these?”

“These flowers are a symbol of demonic royalty, of which I am not in a technical sense.” Mugetsu chuckles, fingers drifting down the side of Sosuke’s face, barely skimming his skin. “I am a king, but not in the sense that Halibel is queen. She has always been royalty. A type of demon far stronger and more powerful than any other.”

“There are demons more powerful than you?” Sosuke is shocked. Mugetsu was one of the most fearsome demons known in the area. Was he truly not such an anomaly?

That makes Mugetsu laugh, a sound that makes Sosuke’s eyes widen a touch. It’s such a natural, beautiful sound. “Yes, there are. I assume Gin must have been playing a trick on me. Fox! Where have you seen these flowers before that you could imitate them so well?”

Gin lands on the railing of the balcony, too fast for Sosuke to see if he even came to the door before trying this flashy trick of his. “What do you mean, Mugetsu?”

“These flowers.” Mugetsu tilts Sosuke’s chin so the moonlight spills across his face. “Where did you see them? The flower that Sosuke placed in my hair became one of these, and they grew throughout my hair until I removed them. I assume this was your trickery.”

“Mine?” Gin blinks at him. “You think I made them look like this? Why?”

Mugetsu frowns at him. “Because they would not have sprouted from nowhere, and the first was once a white blossom from the garden. I wouldn’t put it past you to have seen such flowers prior to now. You can simply tell me where you’ve seen them.”

“I think you are mistaken. I didn’t do anything. These aren’t my doing. I was actually going to ask you when they’d started growing myself because I was curious.” Gin slips off of the railing, waving a hand toward all of the purple flowers. “They were on Sosuke’s balcony as well. I figured they were adorning the palace ‘cause you didn’t like the design so much.”

For a moment, Mugetsu is silent. Then, he tips his head back. “I suppose I’ll have to ask Halibel about this. These flowers have never grown for me. Shiro and I are not descended from any royal clans of demons. I would know if we were.”

“Maybe it’s a sign ya just got that strong.” Gin plucks another flower and tucks it in beside the other, and Sosuke frowns at him, smacking his hand away. “You’re so cruel, Sosuke.”

“Hush.” Sosuke turns his attention back to Mugetsu. “Thank you. The room is beautiful. I reassure you I’ll get plenty of use out of it. Are you sure you want to give it to me?”

Mugetsu tips his chin up just slightly so their eyes meet and nods once, and his crimson eyes appear to glow in this half-darkness. “I am. It is yours. Would you like to spend some time here, or would you like to go to bed? It is up to your choice, of course.”

“Bed, for the moment. I’m very tired. I’ve had a long day.” He hesitates for a moment. “Actually, I want to wash up before bed. We got quite dirty playing in the garden.”

“Do as you please.” Mugetsu runs a hand through the weight of his hair and Sosuke’s eyelids flutter as the sensation, the gentleness of it. “I am going to do a final circuit of the palace to make sure everyone is well and then I will be coming to bed myself.”

“All right.” Sosuke chances taking a step forward, the backs of his fingers brushing against the front of Mugetsu’s throat. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, my lord.”

He sees a flash of curiosity in those eyes before Mugetsu promises not to, and the three of them step back into the office, Sosuke pausing to close the balcony doors. After the fire is put out and the torches safely dimmed, they leave the office and split up for the night; Sosuke sends Haschwalth to bed, not keen on having the man draw him a bath when he can do it himself. Not that he gets a chance, considering Gin does it for him.

“I’m going to be joining you,” Gin informs him, shrugging out of his clothes. “I’ll wash your back for you if you want. But it’s been a long day for both of us.”

Sosuke snorts at him but shrugs as he undresses himself. “Whatever you say, Gin. We used to bathe together as children so it’s of no concern to me.”

He freezes when he feels Gin’s hands on his bare back, fingers tracing over the knot of scar tissue that was not there the last time Gin would have seen him like this. “Oh, love,” he breathes, “did he do this to ya? I knew he was treating you like shit but I never imagined he was leaving visible scars on your body. Thought the healer took care of them.”

“Yhwach left some of them as a reminder.” Sosuke swallows hard at the memory and shakes his head. “It’s of no matter. He isn’t alive to hurt me any longer.”

Gin turns him around and crushes him in an embrace, fingers combing through his hair to pull him ever closer. “I won’t let anyone hurt ya again, Sosuke. Not on my watch. I’ll rip Mugetsu’s heart out with my fucking teeth if he ever tries to lay a hand on you.”

“He won’t.” Sosuke is not certain as to how he knows this, but he does. “Let’s wash, shall we? I wonder if he made any updates to your precious daybed.”

“Better not have made it any smaller, it was just the right size for me,” Gin grumbles.

The water is soothing and hot, and Sosuke enjoys the fragrant steam that wafts from its surface as they settle into the warmth of it. Gin drags his fingers through the water, swirling it around as he sings a soft song Sosuke vaguely recognizes from their childhood, a lullaby one of his many nannies had sung to him to get him to go to sleep. Without thinking about it, he lets his head fall back against the edge of the tub and adds his own voice to the melody, the words coming back to him as if from a distant dream.

How had he missed it, then, what his parents would do to him? He does not know. But all he can do now is be a better father than his own, protect Tensa from the men who would seek to use him for his power and his status and nothing more than that.

“Gin?” His voice is soft, low, almost dreamlike. “Do you think I’m a good father?”

He feels movement next to him, a hand linking with his beneath the water. “Of course I do. You realize you’re the reason he got to grow up all scholarly and smart, right?”

“I know. I don’t know why I doubt so much. Yhwach never raised a hand to him, never punished him. I put myself between them so he could have a life.” Sosuke shakes his head, wondering if he will ever be able to go a day without doubting some aspect of himself again. “I’m sorry to push so much of this on you. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel out of sorts. Everything is finally pleasant, and only now do I break down.”

He feels Gin nuzzling against the side of his neck. “Don’t do this to yourself. That boy loves you. He felt like he could speak out against Mugetsu’s orders this morning because you make him feel safe. Did he see too much violence as a child? Probably. Is that your fault? No. Yhwach tortured you. That will never be your fault, my love.”

Sosuke nods. How many people had affirmed this so far? “Thank you, Gin.”

“You’re such a good person in your heart, Sosuke.” Gin kisses him on the temple. “I want ya to remember that ya deserve nice things, too. Including a handsome as hell demon tripping over himself to make ya smile. So let it in when it comes. Ya deserve to, if ya want it.”

He knows that remark is about Mugetsu, because how could it be about anyone else?  _ Is that what I want? Is that why I told him to court me? _ Certainly, Mugetsu is handsome, and kind even though demons have always seemed just the opposite in nature. Gin has always been sweet to him, has always watched over him and taken care of him. It had been Gin still in his kitsune form with his foot clumsily bandaged that licked the cuts on Sosuke’s fingers until they stopped bleeding and no longer ached so fiercely.

But he knows Gin has a dark side. Has seen it glittering in Gin’s eyes and edging the sharpest smiles, only it was never directed at him. When Gin tells Sosuke he loves him, Sosuke believes him. When Gin promises he would never hurt him, Sosuke has no reason to doubt him. Ironically, it had been humanity who dealt him the worst blows.

And a demon robed in black and wrapped in grey who saved him from that living hell.

Gin helps him wash up and dries him off and sits him in front of the vanity to brush his hair, Sosuke finally aware of just how tired and sore he is after the long day he’s been through. The idea of brushing his own hair seems like it might take too much energy so he lets Gin do it for him, soothed by the bristles running so smoothly across his scalp.

“You really are such a pretty human.” Gin presses their cheeks together as he looks into the mirror and Sosuke smiles softly at him, thinking that Gin is the most beautiful creature he’s ever met, so that must be high praise. “Let’s get you in bed, my darling.”

Gin helps him dress and has him tucked into bed and the lights out when he hears Mugetsu step into the room, flowing through the darkness like he might be just another part of the shadows. Every step he takes is so carefully quiet but Sosuke can see him moving in the moonlit patches spilling from the balcony and the windows, watching him dress for sleep and walk over to the bed. He even hardly moves the mattress when he slides beneath the duvet, leaving space between them even as his arm comes to rest at Sosuke’s waist.

“Is this fine?” His voice is whisper soft. Gin must be asleep, then.

Sosuke blinks up at him, just able to make out the shape of his face in the darkness. “How did you know I was awake? I’ve been so still.”

“You’re exhausted. I can sense that. But not asleep.” Mugetsu’s fingers settle into the curve of his waist through the soft silk of his sleepwear. “Do you want me to stay like this? Or did you prefer the way I held you in my arms on our first night together?”

The memory is still fresh in Sosuke’s mind, the pain and terror fading away when Mugetsu held him so close and kept him warm throughout the night. Today was nearly perfect in all respects, Mugetsu’s sweet comfort throughout the day, his apology, the reassurance he would never do anything Sosuke did not choose, would never force the marriage.

_ Keep your distance, _ he reminds himself, pressing his cheek into the pillow.  _ For as charming as he can be, it can always be hiding more. Don’t let him in yet. _

“I like a bit of distance,” he says, and he thinks he can  _ feel _ Mugetsu’s smile. “You may remain where you currently are. Now, I’m very tired. I need to rest for the morning.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of disturbing your sleep. Rest, Sosuke.” The hand on his waist squeezes gently, and Sosuke feels that slight warmth beneath his skin again.

It would be easy to fall in love with the first man kind enough to care for him after Yhwach, but it would also be foolish. It would be no different than walking blindly into Gin’s arms even though the two of them are nothing more than friends because Gin has always been his friend and knows him well. There has to be more to it than that, and Sosuke… Does not know what  _ more _ that would be. He was always told growing up that he already belonged to someone, that falling in love was futile. His destiny had already been chosen.

He has the chance to choose his own destiny now. Best not to waste the options he has.

_ Settle into the office tomorrow. Lock him out, perhaps lock Tensa in so you can sit down and talk to him properly about how he feels about all of this. _ That would be an excellent way to spend the day, and as long as he was only queen in name, he had no duties to the throne. Mugetsu would have to deal with those as they came.

Even without marriage to a powerful king, Sosuke can have a life now. It would be better to treasure what he has gained in this siege before he makes his next move.

After all, it has to be flawless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm breaking pov train so you guys can hang with some new characters next chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

The soldiers all shiver when he walks through their ranks, calmly watching over their progress as he told Mugetsu he would do when the question was brought up to him in private. While their lord had been preparing for the siege of this land and what would come next, he was hopelessly unable to do anything about training human soldiers as such a skill was lost on him. It was good, then, that Cang Du and Bazz had made themselves useful and switched alliances when it was clear that was going to preserve their lives.

It would have been a pity should either of them have died without due cause.

As Nodt perches on the low wall after making his rounds and watches, one hand curled beneath his chin, eyes fixed on the two men who command this squadron of soldiers. His initial summary of them had been that they were excellent human soldiers, but nothing special in terms of what his own kind are capable of. They could never hope to be.

Bazz’s shoulders twitch as if he knows As is watching him, and As smiles at the thought.

Neither of them had to say anything to inform him that learning he was, in fact, not of their kind had unnerved them a severe amount. Even keeping his mask in place so that none of them had to suffer the terror of seeing his true mouth had not really done much to endear him to them, as they both seemed firmly decided that trusting him was impossible.

That was fine, in and of itself. As is a demon, and in the blink of an eye, these two humans will cease to live and the next era will come to pass. Humans are so little in comparison.

Cang Du comes to stand next to him when the men are allowed a break, and As can sense he wants to say something even as he remains respectfully quiet, his eyes downcast. “What is it? You know, you weren’t so shy to speak to me before you knew what I was.”

“That was before you were proven to be objectively more powerful than I was,” Cang Du tells him, and As supposes that’s fair, scratching at the edge of where black leather bites into the flesh just below his eye. “What’s beneath the mask, As Nodt?”

The question catches him off-guard and he frowns, tucking his hand into his lap. “You have no desire to see. You may think you want to know, but trust me. You do not want to.”

“I’m asking, aren’t I? I always believed you when you said there was just horrible scarring that you wanted to keep to yourself because of the way people treated you, but…” Cang Du trails off, but As can guess.  _ But you lied to us. You’re hiding something else from us. _

It was true. Much in the way Nianzol hid his tongues by insisting he was mute and never opening his mouth to speak for himself, As has kept his face hidden under the guise of being mutilated beneath its surface. The way Cang Du meets his eyes now is less fearful but his gaze skips down to the mask, to the heavy black leather that buckles behind As’s head, hidden by the heavy fall of his long black hair. Not once had he ever worn it up, not wanting to tempt anyone into removing the mask to see the truth of his face.

He finds himself unbearably amused at the idea Cang Du  _ wants _ to see. “I’m not fond of your kind, you know. You faint upon the smallest provocation. It’s annoying.”

“You think I’ll faint if I see your face? I won’t. I want to see it.” Cang Du stands firm in his resolve and As would find that charming if it wasn’t so deliciously stupid.

Toying with the idea, he rubs at where the mask presses into his skin. To keep his mouth hidden, he has to wear the mask tighter than is comfortable, and it hurts even on good days where he need not bother it much. The leather is heavy and makes breathing a difficulty, and he never much cared for the extra weight on his jaw and cheekbones. But it was a necessary evil to ensure no humans ever saw what he looked like beneath it.

“Do you really?” he asks, curling a hand beneath his chin, resting it there. “I think you would pass out. Most humans do. It’s not shameful. Because it’s not scarring beneath this.”

Cang Du swallows; As can see his Adam’s apple bob with the motion. “Yeah, I want to see. I don’t care what’s under there, you know. I wouldn’t have given a shit if you’d told me then what you were. You saved my life more than once, you know. I don’t care if you’re a demon.”

“It’s a very sweet and human sentiment to have, but it’s very incorrect. You have no idea what you’re talking about, you know. You have no idea what I am, not really. You only have a concept.” And most of the demons currently trawling through their kingdom are human enough in appearance and manner that it would almost be easy to look over certain features, like Ulquiorra’s wings or Grimmjow’s ears or Nnoitra’s many arms.

Maybe not Nnoitra’s arms. He revels in what he is, after all. Hard to forget that.

Instead of backing down as he should, Cang Du squares his shoulders. “I want to see your true face. I don’t care what that means or what it is. I just… You aren’t less of a good man because you betrayed us because you did it to take down Yhwach. You’re good in my book.”

“You’re a fool.” As sighs, kicks the heel of his boot against the wall he’s perched upon, and then slides his hands around to the back of his head. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you—”

“Let me.” Cang Du interrupts him without a second thought and As stares at him, blinking slowly, trying to determine if he truly just heard what he thought he did. “I’ve seen the buckles, I’m pretty sure I could undo them. And I’m the one who asked to see you.”

Amused, As lets his hands fall to his lap, deciding to humor this human man just this once. Cang Du was always kind to him prior to his reveal as a spy in their kingdom, had made it a firm rule that anyone who ridiculed As or Nianzol for their appearances were to be punished harshly for it. So when Cang Du steps up to him, reaching around and beneath his hair, As tells himself he might as well repay the man. It’s foolish to ask for this especially after being told there is nothing good beneath the mask, but it’s what he wants, isn’t it?

Humans are so sweet and sentimental sometimes. It will be the death of them.

With a careful touch, Cang Du unbuckles the mask, slipping each strap free of its metal square; As can feel the leather loosening with each movement. When the last buckle is finally undone, he catches the mask with his fingers, keeping it pressed against his mouth until Cang Du steps back and nods once. Showing that he considers himself prepared.

When As removes the mask, his lips are stretched wide and back in a predatory smile.

“Oh.” The word slips from Cang Du’s lips probably without him intending it to; the color drains from his face almost instantly, leaving him a sickly shade of white. “I. I see now.”

Beneath the mask, As’s lips are stretched obscenely wide, the edges of his mouth stretching wider than any human’s could ever hope to. When he opens his mouth at full width, he can nearly unhinge it like a snake, and his teeth are gleaming white, the canines deadly sharp, easily able to pierce bone. Smiling turns his eyes into narrow crescents and he knows the effect is terrifying and wicked, the stuff a human’s nightmares are made of.

Cang Du stares at his face for a long, long moment before speaking. “You have a nice smile.”

As throws his head back, cackling with laughter as the mask slips from his fingers and falls to the ground. Every sound that leaves his throat is strange, distorted, not quite right. He’d been born like this and most were rightfully terrified of him; only his kind had ever been accepting of his strange features. Nianzol could say the words Cang Du just did and mean them without losing all the blood above his neck in the process.

“You’re a fool.” As rubs the skin where the mask pressed in too deep, imagining rough red lines on his fair skin. “But now you see the truth. Do you regret asking me that question?”

To his surprise, Cang Du bends over and picks up the mask, examining it before shaking his head and meeting As’s eyes once more. “No, I don’t. You shouldn’t wear this anymore if you don’t want to. It looks like it cuts into your skin a lot so it can’t be very comfortable.”

“You’ll never be free from this if you don’t give that back.” As makes a grab for the mask, huffing when Cang Du pulls it just out of his reach. “Suit yourself. Suffer, then.”

He thinks that it takes Cang Du a lot of courage from the way he tilts his head back, takes a slow deep breath, and then meets As’s eyes more directly than he has so far.

“If you think looking at your face is suffering for me, then you must not know me that well after all.” Cang Du pockets the mask and turns back to his men, leaving As to sit and wonder what he meant by that comment exactly.

And more to the point, when did the fool start feeling this way?

☽     ☾     ☽     ☾

The cool spring breeze whips through Ulquiorra’s hair. He perches on one of the highest peaks of the palace, picking flower petals out of his hair from his romp in the garden with Grimmjow this morning. Having a home to feel so comfortable in and a place to call their own has kicked off his mate’s breeding instincts somewhat fiercely, and Ulquiorra assured him long ago that the moment they settled down peacefully, he would have the kits he wanted so much. That had been some seventy years ago, though. He’s impressed Grimmjow can remember that far back given how he tends to forget things within days.

Ulquiorra does not mind the idea of having children with Grimmjow. Doubtless, their contrast will ensure their children have everything they need to grow up healthily and happily. His only concern is that their children will have wings and thus will be able to learn to fly much faster than they will learn what  _ responsibility _ means as a concept.

The sound of powerful wings beating against the sky has him craning his head back to see Abirama lighting on the roof not far from him. Unlike Ulquiorra, whose wings blend in nearly perfectly with the night sky, Abirama has massive crimson wings whose feathers tend to rain down from the sky as they grow old and slip free.

“What are you doing up here?” Ulquiorra asks him. “Come to search for company?”

“Boredom, mostly. It’s quiet here.” Abirama folds his wings in against his back and stares down below to where their own kind are milling around the palace, discovering every nook and cranny. Some have already left for the town not far from here.

Tilting his head, Ulquiorra fixes his gaze on the mountains. “You could explore there, I suppose, if you truly wanted to. I am surprised that you are not accompanying Ggio and Findorr around the palace. Is that not what you typically do with your time?”

“Ain’t no need to watch over them if we’re resting for the time being.” Abirama eyes him up and down. “I don’t see you with your little kitty up here, either.”

The remark has Ulquiorra’s lips twitching into a thin smile. “I suppose not. Do you ever regret it, leaving Barragan behind to follow Mugetsu instead? He’s not quite your style.”

“Got tired of sitting around an empty court all day not getting to do anything so this is as at least better than that. I wish Yhwach’s men had given us more of a fight, though.” Unlike some in their company and fitting more with humanity’s traditional view of demons, Abirama likes the heat of battle. “Maybe I’ll go bully some of the soldiers into testing their mettle against me before I head off to check out the mountains. Maybe Shin’s up there. Might be nice to run into him given he just fucking left.”

“Shinji and his ilk are not for settling down. They are nomads. Perhaps that would be more suitable for you?” Traveling in such a small pack often meant that Shinji encountered more enemies; his group was devastating in what they could do in battle as a result of this.

Abirama hesitates, casting his eyes downward once more, and Ulquiorra follows his gaze to see Ggio and Findorr bounding out of the palace together. “Maybe that’s for the best.”

Ulquiorra does not pretend to know the issues of the rest of their team. Rather, he remains above it all, observing from a distance and content to do just that. It was for the best that he did not know what problems everyone else suffered from given that they were not his problems and therefore he would never understand the intricacies of them. He occupied himself with carrying out Mugetsu’s orders as well as keeping an eye on his mate, and that was often enough to fill his time up a contented amount.

But he knows, to an extent, what Abirama is dealing with. He is not blind. One would have to be blind in order to miss the quite obvious issues.

“Well.” Abirama stretches his wings out, gathering the air beneath them, preparing to launch himself into the air, “guess it couldn’t hurt to go adventuring. You think the king’d care? He seems busy with getting all the important shit in order and seducing the queen.”

“He will not mind. Go explore.” Ulquiorra lifts a hand in farewell when Abirama enters the air once more, body pivoting amidst the breeze and toward the mountains.

Considering that his good deed of the day, Ulquiorra leaps from his spot on the roof, finding his footing on lower patches of roof until he lands neatly on his feet on the stone ground of the palace itself. The display earns a smattering of applause from a trio of human guards nearby and Ulquiorra huffs, settling his wings in against his back once more.  _ Fools. _ Such a display impresses them? Even a mortal could have done that.

“Well, well, well.” That voice has him tilting his head to see a familiar face peeking at him from behind one of the elegant stone pillars. “Showing off for the masses?”

“It is transportation, Luppi, nothing more and nothing less. Are you spying on me or have you come to ask me where Grimmjow is so that you can spar with him once more?” The two fought so often Ulquiorra was uncertain it could be considered entirely friendly.

Though smaller than most of their kind, Luppi is deadly, a force to be reckoned with. “I was spying on the humans, actually. Some of them are quite pretty palace decorations.”

“I suppose that is all they are good for all things considered.” Ulquiorra looks back at the guards; they are physically appealing, he supposes. Too soft, and their muscle would cleave from the bone at the gentlest insistence of his fingers, but some of their kind liked qualities like helplessness and weakness. It made one feel stronger, more capable.

Slender fingers wind around one of his wrists and Ulquiorra huffs in annoyance, looking down to find Luppi standing right in front of him, holding his wrist in both hands. He has to push his sleeves up an obscene amount to do so given how long he wears them. “Do you see the pretty one with the pale hair? The fox has been showing interest in him.”

The fox? Aizen’s kitsune. Ulquiorra glances at the guards once more, unsurprised to find the pale-haired soldier to be the smallest and weakest-looking of the trio. The other two are at least strong-looking physically, broad shoulders and muscle to spare. The fingers wrapped around the hilt of the soldier’s sword are so slender that Ulquiorra could break them on accident just shaking his hand. He never quite understood how such an appearance would be appealing to others. Grimmjow was pure muscle and destruction and power.

“Why?” Ulquiorra asks bluntly. “A stiff breeze would blow him over the castle wall.”

Luppi hums thoughtfully, rocking on the balls of his feet. “Want to play with him, then?”

Tormenting humans for the sheer enjoyment has never been Ulquiorra’s style. “No. It would be for the best if we do not. If the fox has taken an interest in him, you may incur his wrath by doing such a thing. His taste could use some serious work.”

“Speak of the devil,” a familiar voice croons in Ulquiorra’s ear, “and he appears.”

When Ulquiorra swivels his head, he finds Gin standing centimeters away from him, so close that Luppi even flinches back with a soft curse. “So you can appear suddenly.”

“I can do anything I wish as long as I put my mind to it. Are you admiring little Izuru?” Gin drops an arm around his shoulders and holds up a hand, beckoning with a single finger; the pale-haired soldier tenses all over. “Izuru, come here. Don’t be shy. Introduce yourself.”

The soldier walks toward them like he is walking to the gallows, his head lowered and his eyes fixed firmly on the ground, though his hand never leaves the hilt at his hip. “Kira Izuru,” he says softly, his voice whisper-faint, obviously frightened. “I was assigned to watch over the outer layer of the palace. I’m not quite cut out for fighting, it seems.”

“Now, now, don’t give yourself so little credit. It’s an important job.” Gin stretches out a hand, gripping Kira’s chin, lifting it forcefully until they can all better see his face. “Do you really think we need little human soldiers to protect us? His Majesty conquered your forces with far fewer men. Even with your ranks cut down, you still outnumber us.”

Kira’s face burns crimson and he squeezes his eyes shut. “I understand, Ichimaru-san.”

Luppi elbows Gin so suddenly in the ribs that the kitsune wheezes, hands slapping protectively over the vulnerable space. “Don’t be so cruel so needlessly.”

“You were going to do the same thing, Luppi.” Ulquiorra fixes his gaze on the soldier, intrigued when he instantly looks down. “Very well. Go back to your post. Do not mind us and continue performing your duty. It is important. We won’t protect your kind, after all.”

Kira walks back to his company— Ulquiorra can  _ feel _ the rage in their eyes even without looking at them— and Gin pouts at him. “I was just having a little fun with him.”

“Go torment the soldiers that aren’t of any use to us down in the training grounds if you must, but the palace guards are necessary. Leave them be.” Ulquiorra gives him a meaningful look and, of course, Gin pouts at him. Maybe not as dangerous as he once believed the kitsune was. “I meant it when I said I won’t protect the humans of this palace. Only the queen and the prince are of any importance in my mind.”

Gin’s smile spreads slow and poisonous across his lips as he squeezes Ulquiorra’s shoulder. “Now there is a thought that the two of us can share.”

☽     ☾     ☽     ☾

When it comes to cave systems, Nnoitra is not overly fond of them.

Tight spaces make his impressive height and extra limbs a detriment at best, and he has to be extra careful because of his horns. Swearing softly, he hunches his shoulders as he drags himself through the tunnels, careful not to move too suddenly and risk injuring himself in the process. Just beside him, Tesla walks normally, not having to worry about the space as his height is average in terms of a human’s, and it appears these spaces were carved out of the rock with humans in mind. What a pity.

Ebern clears his throat from behind. “Apologies, but are we almost there?”

“Dunno,” Nnoitra admits, then raises his voice. “Hey fucker, are we almost there?”

At the front of their party, Nianzol turns to look at them, his strange amber eyes glowing in the darkness like the moss creeping up the sides of the tunnel. “Getting squeamish?”

“Fuck you. Are we almost there or what? I don’t even believe  _ you _ like being in a space this small.” Especially because there is no fresh air down here, something that probably makes Nianzol nervous though he hides it well. His kind need the air, after all.

Nianzol wrinkles his nose up and sighs, then turns back around. “Yes, we’re almost there.”

He doesn’t have to explain why he knows where this object is despite the fact that he only alluded to guarding it in the past; Nianzol is the type to sneak into a cavern in the middle of the night while the other guard likely fell asleep so he could see just what he was helping to protect. When the tunnel finally opens up into a larger space, Nnoitra breathes a sigh of relief and stretches his neck, rolling the muscles there to soothe the ache from them. He can almost feel Tesla’s fervent desire to massage the stiffness out of them. Maybe when they bring whatever this is back to the palace, Nnoitra will indulge him.

The cavern is massive inside, lit by torches that reflect off of the small object in the center of the room on a raised dais. Nnoitra swipes it without a second thought, holding the orb between his fingers, narrowing his eyes as he examines it. It’s purple and smooth all over, almost like some kind of carved gem, except that isn’t quite right.

He can sense some kind of power flickering from within it. Some kind of demonic power.

“Nice,” he says, tossing it up in the air and catching it. “So the bastard found some kind of way of harnessing demon power and then put it here to hide it? Wonder why. Ain’t like he could have used the damned thing with it all the way up here away from the palace.”

“We were never told why he was hiding it, just that it was important no one else get anywhere near it.” Nianzol grabs Nnoitra by the wrist, yanking his arm down so he can see it more clearly. “It hasn’t changed since I last saw it. I wonder what it even does.”

Tesla holds his hand out and Nnoitra hands him the orb, lets him roll it between his fingers before he shakes his head and hands it back. “It’s power, but I can’t exactly see how you could harness it to do anything with it. Maybe I just don’t understand how, though. And perhaps that is why Yhwach hid it away here until he could learn to use it.”

“And we killed him before he could learn how. Perhaps Mugetsu can figure it out,” Luders offers, and Nnoitra hums in agreement, pulling off his eyepatch to wrap the orb in, tucking it into a pocket for safe-keeping. Mugetsu will definitely be interested in it.

“That’s all that’s here,” Nianzol tells them. “I’ve been all over these caverns, but this is it. Whatever it does, it must be very powerful. Perhaps we should give it to Halibel-sama.”

“Maybe,” Nnoitra says, but like hell. He’s giving this to Mugetsu. It’s his kingdom now.

They leave the caverns quicker than they ventured in, none of them particularly fond of small and dark places even though it’s not as upsetting for most of them as it is for Nnoitra and especially Nianzol. No sooner do they clear the mouth of the cave does Nianzol leap into the fresh breeze, suspended by it for a moment, his clothing whipping wildly around him, hair flying back from his face.

“Nnoitra?” Tesla looks up at him, and Nnoitra hums. “Shall we return home now that our mission is accomplished? I see no reason to remain in this place.”

“Promised Mugetsu we’d get home in two days so yeah, we’re going home.” Nnoitra pats Tesla on top of the head, watching as Luders and Ebern climb atop their stallions once more, Nianzol content to float through the air. “Let’s make it a race and see who wins.”

Tesla is not built for speed. Tesla is built for power. When he shifts into his boar form and Nnoitra climbs on top of him, the horses already have a headstart and it absolutely does not matter because Tesla is also built to do whatever Nnoitra wants him to do. No one could ever want to follow Nnoitra’s wishes more than Tesla does and so he gains on the horses and passes them even though it shouldn’t be necessarily, logically possible. They have always defied logic by necessity anyway. It’s how they came to be.

“Nnoitra?” Tesla’s voice is lower and deeper in this form and Nnoitra hums, starfishing himself over Tesla’s back so he can hear him better over the wind. “I wanted to ask you when we made our way home, but this may make it hard to have a moment alone.”

“You think so? Maybe you’re right.” Nnoitra rests the point of his chin on Tesla’s head. “Just go ahead and ask. I already know what you’re wanting from me, Tesla.”

When Tesla says nothing, Nnoitra sighs. So if Nnoitra already knows, Tesla won’t ask.

It isn’t as though they’ve never discussed settling down and having children of their own. Demons tend to have plenty of offspring over the years, but as Mugetsu’s men they all shared one thing in common: none of them had chosen to settle down. They followed him into battle and you couldn’t rightfully leave an entire clutch of piglets behind when you might not come back to be able to take care of them. Demons aren’t heartless.

“So you’re not gonna ask now?” Nnoitra demands. “You’re such a coward.”

“Upsetting you is not my goal in this conversation,” Tesla tells him far too patiently.

Sighing, Nnoitra stretches out a hand to pat Tesla on the snout. “I’ll think about it, okay? Ain’t sure you really wanna have kids with me, though, you think I’m good at being parental and shit? You really wanna see kid versions of  _ me? _ You’re insane.”

“It must be my overwhelming desire and affection for you that makes me feel this way,” Tesla answers back promptly, and Nnoitra smacks him on the nose. “Ow, Nnoitra.”

“That didn’t hurt you.” Nnoitra pats the spot he smacked just the same. “Fine, I’ll think about it seriously then. If you really want kids, I guess we can arrange that. If Mugetsu’s really going to have an entire kingdom to himself, we should take advantage of it. Might be nice not to have to ride off into battle and risk dying three times a week for a change.”

Tesla gives his head a little toss. “It will be very nice to have a substantial amount of evenings spent knowing that you are warm and safe in my arms and not in danger.”

“Guess the kids could be cute if they looked more like you. Big dumb sad brown eyes and whatever.” It isn’t like Nnoitra is particularly attached to his own appearance after all and isn’t quite sure it would translate over well to kids. He’d been gawky and awkward when he was small, strange and sharp-angled even then.

“I am concerned about the horns, to be honest,” Tesla tells him.

Nnoitra howls with laughter at that thought. “They didn’t grow in ‘til I was outta the womb, so don’t worry about that. Ain’t like it’s gonna cause any special trauma.”

“That is good to know. Then yes, Nnoitra, I would like to have children with you. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow have already more or less broadcast the fact they are trying.” Tesla leaps over an especially rocky patch of ground but he lands so smoothly that Nnoitra hardly feels it. “I am jealous. Because I want to have a family with you.”

Nnoitra presses his face into Tesla’s fur and sighs. “Stupid boar. Okay. You really wanna try? You wanna put up with me in the worst moods fucking possible at all hours of the day? And then have a bunch of screaming brats that might end up just as nasty as me?”

“If I am being honest? All of our children ending up exactly like you would only make me love them all the more.” And damn Tesla because he  _ definitely _ means that, Nnoitra can tell.

They reach the palace on time and Nnoitra fishes the orb out of his pocket, giving it one last curious look before heading in the general direction of the throne room. If Mugetsu isn’t here, he’ll just hunt him down screaming his name at the top of his lungs until his king shows up to shut him up himself. Best to drop this thing off now, make Nianzol explain it, and then drag Tesla off somewhere so they can work on those piglets he wants so bad. They might just get it to take before the end of the week if they try hard enough.

All they have now is time, after all. Might as well make the most of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's not the hogyoku! feel the need to say that. it's modeled on the hogyoku's design but it's not the hogyoku.


	9. Chapter 9

With no access to his princely charge, Shiro becomes annoying tenfold.

Mugetsu is used to this. With his younger brother trailing behind him and whining at him at any given moment’s notice, he climbed to the very highest rank in Halibel’s army and assured himself of the position. He claimed a kingdom. However, it becomes no less irritating trying to speak to the general of your human army while your brother mutters behind your back about what  _ that pretty boy _ must be up to at the moment.

It is harder still to disguise a smile because Shiro’s mood grows fouler still the moment he believes someone must be faking fun of him behind his back.

Bazzard Black is an impressive man, tall and seemingly pure thick muscle. Mugetsu likes him almost as soon as the two of them begin talking, walking a circle around the group of soldiers currently training in the yard. As part of his current duties, As Nodt is perched on the low brick wall overseeing them. His hand is curled beneath his chin; Mugetsu notices the lack of a mask hiding the wide stretch of his mouth and swallows back a smile.

“They’ll do pretty much anything you tell them to do,” Bazz— his preferred nickname, it seems— informs him as they near where As sits. “They answer to me primarily and will answer to Cang Du without a second thought. Most of us hated Yhwach, so you did us all a massive favor killing the fucker. Cut our bad assassination plot short.”

Mugetsu snorts. “The man went down easily enough. I think you could have done it.”

“We’d have been executed if we failed, though. And that would’ve quashed any other attempts, so I’m grateful.” Bazz lifts his chin in As’s direction, though the petite demon is watching the men and not them. “They listen to him, too. They’d pick his word over mine.”

“That’s good to know. As has excellent judgment even when it comes to battle, something he was never overly fond of when the two of us first met.” Mugetsu watches, intrigued, as the human man he knows to be Cang Du returns. He can see the familiar black leather of As’s mask clipped to Cang Du’s belt and he wonders when that must have happened.

Of course, Shiro notices instantly. “Who the fuck steals As’s mask and lives to tell of it?”

“I highly doubt he stole it,” Mugetsu says, ignoring the way his brother snorts in disbelief at the concept. “Are the two of them especially close, Bazz? They certainly look to be.”

“From pretty much the moment they met to now, yeah.” Bazz shrugs a shoulder but Mugetsu can see the uncertainty in his gaze and wonders if Bazz is worried for his friend’s safety. “I think he fell for him the first time he saw him. If not, well, it’s certainly close if you know what I mean.” He raises an eyebrow and Mugetsu nods; As may not be beautiful by human standards, but he’s one of the most enchanting demons alive.

As if to prove the point, Cang Du takes a seat next to him and says something, and As’s attention shifts to him. The sunlight from above picks out the rich violet highlights in his black hair and the way he smiles. Cang Du does not even look visibly disturbed by this.

“Good for him,” Mugetsu finally says, and Shiro makes a gagging noise at his side.

Despite the distance, As can most likely hear them, but he does a good job pretending he can’t— Though there may be some aid when Cang Du dares to stretch out a hand, tucking an errant lock of hair back behind As’s ear. Such a simple gesture makes Mugetsu smile despite himself, and he shakes his head as he urges Bazz to tell him more about the military forces available to them and what they can make the most use of.

By the time they finish their tour of the yard and overseeing of training, a familiar shrill voice makes everyone drop.  _ “Yo, Mugetsu, where the fuck are you hiding at?” _

“Nnoitra has arrived,” Shiro says, his voice nothing less than pleasantly fake.

“So he has,” Mugetsu agrees, watching as one of his most loyal men comes swinging around the corner, tossing something up and down as he walks toward them. Tesla trails not far behind him, always in the shadow of his mate. “Nnoitra, you’ve arrived home. Good work.”

And not far behind the two of them is Nianzol, who floats through the air before landing on the brick wall at As’s side, kicking the heels of his boots against it. “We found it straight away and came right back. Ebern and Luders are putting the horses in their stalls so they can eat and rest. Also, I still don’t know exactly what it is we found.”

“Is that so?” Mugetsu arches an eyebrow and Nnoitra walks up to him, his boots clicking against the stone walkway before he thrusts one pale, slender hand out to him.

In his palm rests a small purple orb that emanates demonic power.

“How interesting.” Mugetsu takes the orb, rolling it between his fingers as he considers it.

Though he heard of such objects in the past, Mugetsu has never countered something that could harness the power of a demon no matter how hard the crafter worked upon it. The closest they have ever come are Mugetsu’s blade, a living creature that feeds on death and blood and gore, but it does not feel the way this does. The orb is warm in his hand, perfectly smooth, defying any idea that it  _ could _ have been crafted. No one can achieve such perfection even with magic, but the orb nevertheless looks flawless.

The pale flicker of light inside of it puzzles him, and he holds it up to the sunlight. What could such an object be, and why would Yhwach go to such great lengths to hide it?

Supposing he figured out how to harness demon magic, why would he hide it so far away?

“This is interesting but ultimately of no use to me.” After all, the power within the orb itself is frail and thin and not at all very impressive. To him, it seems a failure. Why not simply destroy it? “I don’t quite know what to do with it, actually.”

As holds out his hand and Mugetsu hands it to him, watching him examine it for a moment before he hands it back. “I think it’s meant to be a defense charm, ultimately not very powerful but that’s how it feels to me. Perhaps you can give it to the queen as a gift.”

“There’s a thought. Even without me near, someone would know a demon was watching over him at all times.” Mugetsu smiles. The violet color would look lovely on Sosuke, and it makes him once more think of the flowers growing on their bannisters. “Very well. I’ll do that.”

Next to him, Shiro cracks his knuckles. “Use silver and make it a necklace.”

Magic has many capabilities and despite his abilities in war, Mugetsu has just as much skill with it as the majority of his kind does. It takes nothing more than a thought and some effort; the silver spills from his fingers and over the orb, attaching itself to it, sprouting a chain that jingles softly against his fingers. The metal is warm, freshly molded but strong, and it will compliment Sosuke all the more as a result.

His queen will look beautiful with this, and perhaps future assassins will stay their hands.

“Are you going to give it to him now?” Shiro is immediately pressed up against his arm, a very determined expression on his face. “You should while you have the time.”

Sosuke woke early and locked himself away in his study after breakfast; Tensa went with him, effectively keeping Shiro out as Mugetsu promised him only those he allowed would be able to come into the room. As he has not seen the kitsune yet today, Mugetsu is certain Gin is with them, and this does not bother him. Rather, he likes the idea that Sosuke has a place all to himself where he, his close friend, and his son can relax away from the kingdom and all of the organization it takes to make certain it will run as it is.

That does not make it easier on Shiro, who  _ desperately _ wants to see the prince.

“I’ll wait for him to come out of his study,” Mugetsu says, and Shiro’s eyes narrow up at him. “What? You seem awfully concerned about your charge—”

Immediately, Shiro yanks away from him. “I’m not! But you’re going to get busy and forget. You know how your memory gets. It must be going in your old age, nii-san, and that’s such a damned shame. I’ll probably be king before long, all things considered.”

Nnoitra folds all six of his arms across his chest, looking less than impressed with the display. “You’ve lived more than long enough to not be such a dramatic child. Leave the fucking prince alone, do you not harass him enough as it is? He deserves peace and quiet.”

“He’s interested in the prince,” Tesla says plainly, and the way Nnoitra’s eye widens is comical; even the teeth where his other eye should have been gape open in shock.

“I am  _ not! _ ” Shiro lunges but Mugetsu catches him by the braid, yanking him back with the length of it and wrapping it around his fingers like a leash to keep him still. “You take—”

Nianzol whistles, and the sound is oddly wet. “I thought we were going to miss out on all the fun when you sent us off, Mugetsu, but I can see I was wrong about that. You waited until we got back to let us join in the fun. Very grateful.”

“You’re welcome. I try to do right by all of you, you know.” Mugetsu yanks his brother back and plants his palm on top of his head, shoving him down a few good centimeters. “You need to behave! I don’t know if you’re interested in Tensa or not. Frankly, I don’t care. It is none of my concern. But if he requests peace and quiet and to be  _ away _ from you, you need to have the good grace to give him space. Do you want to be like Yhwach?”

The question has Shiro quieting immediately, his mouth twisting into an uncomfortable grimace as his eyes dart up toward the study balcony. “Guess not. I wouldn’t want him to look at me and think he’s gotta be scared of me or something.”

“Then you need to stop,” As says, and Mugetsu forces Shiro’s head around so he’s looking at the other man. “You weren’t here to see what we did. Tensa lived in constant fear of his father’s wrath. Having such a loud, obnoxious, and forceful personality may very well frighten him further. Learn to give him space and to be gentle with him. He’s soft.”

Shiro smacks Mugetsu’s hand away so he can straighten up properly, rolling his neck. “He’s too soft. I don’t get how he doesn’t see he’s just prey in this world.”

“He isn’t prey if you’re protecting him, now, is he?” As asks, and Shiro’s head swings in his direction so quickly it makes Mugetsu’s neck ache in sympathy. “Perhaps he’s looking for someone who can shield him from the worst of it the way his father always has. Someone who accepts his gentleness as a gift worth protecting rather than a weakness.”

“Some food for thought,” Nianzol agrees, slinging an arm around As’s shoulders.

Shiro is quiet but contemplative, so Mugetsu leaves him to his thoughts as he thanks Nnoitra and Tesla for their service and sends them off to do as they please. From the way Tesla immediately shoots Nnoitra a look before they disappear inside, he is certain he knows exactly what it is the two of them are going to be doing for the rest of the day. Again, he can hardly be surprised. His men never settled down because they couldn’t.

They have all the time in the world to do that now, though.

Mugetsu eats lunch in the garden, picking at his food idly, listening to the birds softly chirping in the trees, the shuffling of insects in the undergrowth, the soft pad of a small mammal creeping around the edge of the clearing. When he drops a piece of chicken into the grass, he pretends not to notice the small raccoon who comes to collect the prize, a smile touching his lips as he listens to it move back into the leaves.

Predictably, Shiro is grumpy about not even being able to  _ eat _ with the prince but he lets it go after one biting comment before turning his golden gaze to Mugetsu. “Did you know?”

“You’re my little brother. Of course I knew.” And Tensa is Sosuke’s son through and through, so how could Shiro not become interested in him? “Give him space. You cannot imagine the anguish he was forced through. He grew up in this palace.”

Shiro winces at picks at his food, shoving a piece of meat between his lips with a sigh. “Yeah. I guess. I think he hates me, though, so there’s  _ that _ to work with.”

“You’re overly dramatic. The boy  _ wants _ to like you, but you make it so difficult for him, prickly as you are.” Mugetsu levels him with a look, and Shiro scowls in answer. “Be gentle with his heart and he’ll likely put it right in the palm of your hand.”

“So you believe that horse shit As was spouting? But I guess he’s better at romancing humans.” Shiro bites off a laugh and Mugetsu frowns at the tone of his voice.

When Shiro has stopped, Mugetsu reminds his younger brother who the stronger of the two of them are, letting his power brush against Shiro’s until he shudders. “Don’t speak ill of As finding happiness. He’s earned it. We have  _ all _ earned some peace and joy.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You  _ know _ I like As. I’m just bitter that it was so easy for him.” Shiro links his fingers together behind his head and looks up, and Mugetsu knows where he is looking without having to check for himself. “Where do you think the flowers are coming from? Our family lineage isn’t enough to denote such a change in the foliage.”

“I couldn’t tell you. I’ll wait until Halibel sends a messenger to ask her about it, though. It’s not such a change that it needs to be dealt with immediately.” He would know if the cause were any of his people. These flowers have only sprung up just recently.

Szayel mentioned it himself down in his workspace, but Mugetsu knows for a fact that there has never been any record of a demon growing powerful enough to warrant notice from Hell’s Kiss in such a way. They grow for true royal demons, born from the stock of great and powerful families; he and Shiro were nowhere near that. They were commoners in comparison, their battle skills setting them apart from the rest. Prodigies, perhaps, but not royalty. And these flowers have never grown for any of his men.

But just because it is not on record does not mean it is impossible. Mugetsu knows this.

“Enjoying the afternoon, Your Majesty?” The question comes from above and he tilts his head back to see Gin peering down at him from the balcony, having to project his voice quite a bit to cover the distance. “We just sent Haschwalth to get lunch.”

“It’s a nice day. I hope the four of you are having a nice, quiet afternoon,” he replies.

Gin smiles. He can almost  _ feel _ the weight of that look. “We are. It’s nice and cool up here, you know. We’ve just been relaxing, reading some books. Sosuke’s calligraphy really is beautiful, you should see it sometime. If he’s willing to let you, that is.”

The kitsune is baiting him. Sosuke is likely listening. “It’s up to Sosuke whether or not he wants to show me. I would never presume to be shown. Though I’m certain it is lovely.”

All aspects of Aizen Sosuke are lovely. There is no part of him that is imperfect.

“What a gentleman you are. You’re going to make my lovely Sosuke blush.” Gin giggles wickedly and Mugetsu does not need to try to hear Sosuke’s flustered demands for Gin to stop. He can sense them. He knows the mortal well enough now. “Why don’t the two of you come up to say hello? We were just talking about eating with you.”

Mugetsu raises an eyebrow. “I won’t come up there unless Sosuke tells me so himself.”

“I can’t even tempt you. That’s too bad.” Gin’s tails swish behind him for a moment before he leans away from the railing and twists himself around, calling back into the room. “Sosuke, he said he won’t come up here unless you’re the one who asks him to come.”

To Mugetsu’s surprise, Sosuke appears on the balcony a moment later, and he looks as lovely as always. The deep jewel blue tones of his robes are perfect on him, and his hair has been tied back out of his face into an intricate knot. Did Tensa do that, or was it Gin? Mugetsu thinks he could believe either at this point.

“Won’t you join us?” His voice is warm and sweet and there’s an edge of laughter in it. Perhaps he’s been enjoying Gin’s display rather than being embarrassed by it. “You’ve been busy all day and it’s much cooler here than it is outside. And no bugs to steal your food.”

Sosuke wants to see him? To spend time with him, of his own choice? “Is that so?”

“It is so. Come up.” Sosuke beckons him with a hand and Mugetsu bites back a grin at the gesture. His queen’s face is gently flushed and his eyes are glittering as if he’s been laughing. He must have been having quite the good day. “I want to eat lunch with you.”

Mugetsu glances at Shiro. “Are you planning on coming up to see Tensa, then?”

He watches his brother mull over the question, surprised that he doesn’t receive an immediate affirmative answer. Surprised, still, when Shiro finally shakes his head and looks back down at his plate. “No. Go see your queen. I’m going to take a walk.”

Leaving his plate of food behind, Shiro disappears into the foliage and Mugetsu sighs but lets him go, pushing himself away from the table they’d brought out to eat on. While he could easily scale the side of the palace in seconds, he imagines that would frighten Sosuke and so he takes the longer route through the palace itself. When he arrives at the door, Haschwalth is there to meet him, balancing three plates on one arm while he knocks on the study door. Gin answers, greeting them both with a wide smile.

“Nice to see you, King,” he says, taking two of the plates from Haschwalth and carrying them inside. “You’ve been a busy man today, hmm? Checking up on the palace?”

“I was reviewing the structure of the army and speaking to Bazzard Black about them,” Mugetsu explains, stepping just far enough in that Haschwalth can shut the door behind them, locking it as he does. He looks… Wholly comfortable in this space.

Sosuke himself has moved back to the desk and looks even more radiant up close, accepting the plate Gin brings him with a beaming smile. There are books scattered about the desk and some stacked on the floor; they must have been going through them and reading them together, which is a lovely thought. Sosuke meets his eyes and then pats the desk, urging Mugetsu to come sit with him. It’s then that he notices one of the plush chairs in the room has been moved to that side of the desk. His queen was serious about eating with him.

“Shiro-san isn’t with you?” Tensa asks from where he sits, lounging in one of the chairs, a book tucked under his hip. He accepts the plate from Haschwalth and Mugetsu sits his own on the desk, noting the boy’s disappointment. “I thought he would have been.”

Gin cocks his head. “I saw him outside. Did he not want to come up and see us?”

“He had something he needed to take care of. He didn’t even finish eating before he walked off.” Better to spare Tensa’s feelings given the way he frowns as he looks down at his plate. “He does want to see you, though, Tensa. He’ll be there when you want him to be.”

The words do seem to comfort him; even Sosuke smiles. “What a lovely sentiment.”

“You wanted to see me, my queen?” Mugetsu sits down at the desk, noting that some of the dyed pieces of paper have been cut into smaller pieces and tucked into various books. “It looks as though you’ve been crafting this afternoon. Those are very pretty.”

Sosuke lights up as soon as he mentions it, picking up a piece of paper left by his elbow. There is ink on it, Mugetsu notices, still slightly damp. “Yes, we have been. The books are very expensive, you know, but you wouldn’t want to lose your place when reading, so I had Gin cut them into exact perfect sizes for me and I’ve been writing on them. They’re so you can place them where you were reading without ruining the book. This ink needs to dry.”

“He’s been picking out his favorite short poems to write on them,” Gin says, half-shoving a piece of chicken into his mouth. “Isn’t his handwriting just so gorgeous?”

“It is,” Mugetsu says, examining the writing on the bookmark before Sosuke delicately sets it back down. His calligraphy is breathtaking. “I’m glad you’ve been enjoying yourselves and it’s a very smart thing to do, Sosuke. So you like this study after all?”

Fork halfway to his mouth, Sosuke smiles at him. And his eyes are  _ shining. _ “Absolutely. It is the best present anyone has ever given me. I’ve already had so much fun today.”

Mugetsu remembers the necklace and retrieves it from his pocket, rolling the orb between his fingers once more. Inside of it, the light flickers. “That reminds me. I sent my men to retrieve something from a cavern that… That  _ he _ kept hidden, and they’ve brought it back. It’s nothing much, just a bit of sorcery. I believe they wanted to harness demon magic.”

“Did they succeed?” Gin asks, his ears perked up as he peeks at the orb.

“Barely. But it exists just the same.” Mugetsu holds it up on its chain, letting it dangle in the air. “I wanted to give it to you, Sosuke. It may not have much power, but it may serve as a symbol to everyone that you have a demon guarding you at all times.”

“Such a gift seems too extravagant. Is it really safe for me to wear such a thing when I can see something moving inside of it?” Sosuke asks, his expression doubtful.

Mugetsu’s smile softens. “I would never allow anything to harm you. If I say that this is safe for you to wear, then it is safe. And the magic is very faint. As I said, it was meant, I believe, to be defensive. To protect the person who wears it. Unless Yhwach intended on it to become stronger with time, which it did not, then I can’t imagine why he would even keep it. Perhaps just to gloat that he had such a thing in the first place.”

Tensa clears his throat, and Mugetsu watches the boy’s brows draw together. “I thought he hated magic. He hated everything to do with it. He said it so many times.”

“He was a hypocrite. I can imagine him lying about such a thing. May I see it?” Sosuke holds his hand out, and Mugetsu places the orb in his palm, tucking the chain around it. “Thank you. Are you certain you want to gift such an artifact to me? Even if it is weak and a failure of its creation, I would assume such a thing would warrant some protection.”

“Then in your possession it will always be safest, because I already promised never to allow harm to come to you,” Mugetsu reminds him, and Sosuke blushes gently at his words.

“Very well. I will accept this token, then.” Sosuke is careful as he loops the chain over his head, letting the orb settle into its place below the hollow of his throat. It looks lovely there, vibrant and alive against his warm skin. “If it will remind those around me that you are always going to be there to protect me, there is no harm it could possibly do.

Gin hums softly, rubbing his thumb across his lower lip as he examines the orb from his own chair. “I wonder when he got that done, though. He did a lot of business right in front of me ‘cause I was trapped, but I certainly don’t remember mages and sorcerers in the palace. Like Tensa said, he was very much against it. How odd this is.”

“Is it possible to make a charm that would protect someone outright?” Tensa asks. “Perhaps he wanted some kind of supernatural armor to take into battle with him.”

Mugetsu shrugs and picks at his plate, watching as Sosuke touches the orb as if assuring himself that it will not harm him. “I don’t think so. I’ve never seen it done before.”

“I mean, it  _ is _ a success when you consider that Mugetsu is gonna be right there to protect ya, Sosuke.” Gin giggles at him and Sosuke’s blush deepens as he shoots the fox a look, but there’s a chuckle caught in his throat. Are they teasing each other, perhaps? “Ya should keep it. It’s such a pretty color and it looks so nice on you. Another courting gift.”

Tensa perks up at the mention of the words. “That’s true! It is another courting gift.”

“You can view it as such as you wish.” Mugetsu smiles and Sosuke looks at him, and he is so lovely. He is even smiling, so perhaps the thought does not bother him so much. “Though you don’t have to. Giving you lovely presents makes me happy. You don’t have to view them as something I’m only giving you because I want you to be my queen in all ways.”

Sosuke lowers his lashes, and Mugetsu watches as he drags his teeth across his lower lip thoughtfully before he smiles. “Thank you, then, Mugetsu. It is lovely, and I do like it.”

“I’m glad for that.” Mugetsu looks over at Tensa, knowing he should keep his mouth shut and just not quite able to do that. “The effect you have on my brother is astounding. I’ve never seen him pout and whine quite as much as I have today, and all over you.”

Tensa looks at him, startled, and quickly chews the food in his mouth to answer. “What? I haven’t done anything to him. He’s the one who always says the most  _ awful _ —”

“That’s not what he means, my love,” Sosuke murmurs, and Tensa frowns at him, blue eyes stormy with confusion. “Shiro has missed your company fiercely today and has been whining because he cannot spend time with you. You’ve been here with me all morning.”

After a moment, Tensa’s cheeks bloom red and he presses his face into his hands, groaning into his palms. “But I don’t  _ understand. _ He hates me. He hates that I’m weak and pathetic and that I care about other people. Why would he want to be around me?”

Mugetsu hums softly. “I don’t even think he quite knows the answer to that question, but I think he’s grown to understand that you aren’t weak because you are gentle-hearted.”

“He’ll have to work on his attitude, though,” Sosuke says, and the tone of his voice makes Mugetsu smile as he nods and leans back in his seat. “While he may be… Interested in Tensa, I don’t approve of the way he speaks to him. He needs to behave himself.”

“Father, it’s  _ fine, _ ” Tensa insists, and suddenly Mugetsu wonders just what the two of them must have been talking about today for that reaction to trigger.

Sosuke shakes his head firmly. “No, it isn’t fine. He should be more respectful of you even if he doesn’t agree with you. I won’t back down on that, I’ve already made that clear.”

“For what it’s worth, I agree. Shiro’s personality is… It leaves a lot to be desired, but I think there may have been a catalyst to change his trajectory, so to speak.” Mugetsu gives Sosuke a knowing smile and is pleased when his queen catches on, interest sparkling in his eyes. “We’ve spoken about his issues today. I believe he’ll make some corrections, and if not, I will correct him so that he does. That should suit everyone here.”

In record timing, Tensa finishes his plate and sets it aside, retrieving the book pinned beneath him and holding it tight to his chest. “I’m going to go find Shiro-san myself.”

He leaves the room immediately after and Sosuke merely sighs and shakes his head, looking back down at his own plate. “I know I should probably stop him, but I think he needs to go on his way and discover how this is going to turn out for himself.”

“You’re an excellent father for trying to protect him,” Mugetsu reassures him, and Sosuke smiles shyly up at him. “Now tell me about your day. I want to know of everything that has put such a beautiful light back in your eyes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look what updated today! surprise!
> 
> does anyone wanna see shiro and tensa's convo... i kinda wanna write it lmao


	10. Chapter 10

When the prince walks up to him, Shiro is sitting on the edge of the rooftop with his chin resting in the palm of his hand, his eyes fixed on the ground so far beneath him.

The soft footsteps hardly catch his attention; his mind is whirring far faster than he wants it to these days, forcing him to think about concepts he would rather denounce as childish and foolish and ignore for the rest of his long life. Joining Halibel’s army meant not having to think about a future, and it was easy to scoff at Tesla and Nnoitra, or Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. Why bother to take a mate in the first place when that would only mean risking losing them one day? Why bother getting attached at all?

He looks like the fool now, all things considered. Everyone else is settling down. Even  _ Mugetsu, _ the stone-cold brother who kept to himself for so long, who shunned the advances of anyone who looked in his direction, who wed himself to war…  _ Impossible. _

Shiro knows his brother better than anyone else, and he has never seen Mugetsu soften so much for a single person. Not in the way he has for Aizen Sosuke.

_ Bastard has one pretty human smile at him and suddenly he thinks he knows what it is to fall in love. _ The thought is disgusting, but more than that, it is distressing.  _ It can’t be that easy. I refuse to think of it as something that could happen to anyone. _

And he doesn’t want to admit the pang in his chest when the invitation to join them upstairs in the study was  _ only _ extended to his brother and not him as well.

Tensa woke, washed, and ate breakfast far earlier than Shiro anticipated, which meant he saw him not at all by the time he woke up and had to go about his day. At first, he thought it would be good for him to be able to avoid the pretty fool for a few hours only to be left with the sensation that something was  _ wrong,  _ that he  _ wanted _ to see him.

And Tensa does not want to see him. Why does it sting so much to admit that?

“Idiot,” Shiro mutters to himself, kicking the heel of his boot against the wall of the palace, the soft  _ thud _ barely audible. “You shouldn’t have agreed to stay here.”

Maybe that was the answer. Maybe going back to Halibel’s army and away from this wretched palace with its soft-hearted prince was  _ exactly _ what he needs to fix himself. But it feels too much like running away from a problem he cannot solve, and Shiro prides himself on his fierceness. He is not going to run away from some human even if said human has twisted all of his preconceived ideals about himself into a fucking knot.

He assumes the footsteps belong to Ulquiorra, given how he likes high places. So when the person behind him speaks in that oh-so-familiar voice, he nearly falls off the damned roof. “I’ve been looking for you. Why didn’t you want to come eat with us?”

_ Fuck! _ Shiro jumps so hard he nearly tumbles over the edge of the roof, just planting his foot against it in time to stop himself as he glances over his shoulder. Tensa is standing behind him, a fair distance away from the edge of the roof with a book in hand.  _ The hell? _

“What are you doing out here?” Shiro asks, forcing himself to keep his voice calm. No need to be gruff with the prince. Wait, why does he suddenly care if he hurts Tensa’s feelings?

“You didn’t come to eat with us so I came to find you instead.” Tensa, Shiro realizes, is trying to seem tougher than he feels right now. There is determination in those eyes, but he’s wavering on his feet just the same. He isn’t used to this. This kind of attitude likely would have earned him punishment from Yhwach— And Sosuke would suffer it.

_ Do you want to be like Yhwach? _

Shiro slides back from the edge of the roof and swings his legs up onto it, pushing himself to his feet. “So you did. And so you found me. Did you want something, little prince?”

“I…” Tensa trails off, then straightens his shoulders once more, and Shiro chuckles to himself at the sight.  _ Trying so hard to be tough in front of me like I haven’t seen you pass out at the sight of a little gore. _ “I wanted to know why you didn’t come up with Mugetsu.”

Is that all? Shiro is, admittedly, disappointed. “Maybe I didn’t want to come see you.”

The remark deflates Tensa somewhat and he can see a faint flash of disappointment in his eyes before the prince firms himself once more. “No, I know that isn’t it. He  _ told _ me you wanted to come see me but that you left without finishing your food. I want to know why.”

Mugetsu told him  _ what? _ Shiro is going to kill him. He’s going to kill him and take the throne and then leave this kingdom to its own devices so he can go back to Halibel’s army and back to killing things like he wants to. “What makes you think he wasn’t just lying to you? You have a gentle heart. It would be just like him not to want to break it.”

“You’re upset that I didn’t let you come into the study with me, aren’t you?” Tensa presses, and Shiro takes a step back from him. “That’s what it is. You really did want to see me.”

He really is going to have to kill his brother. “I guess it’s not a shared sentiment, hmm?”

“I don’t understand. You’ve been so cold to me. You’ve been cruel and scary.” Tensa’s voice grows softer, though more desperate. “I keep trying to understand why and it feels like such a waste of time because you treat me this way. I just. I want to understand.”

“Have I scared you?” Shiro asks, trying to keep any inflection out of his voice.

He watches Tensa bring the book to his chest, hugging it there with his arms. “Yes. You’ve tried to scare me. I know… You don’t like me. You don’t like that I want to think the world is a good place. You want me to be scared of it, to think that it’s bad.”

“You’ve got the right idea there,” Shiro mutters, and Tensa flinches away from him, clearly unhappy with that answer. “You’re a fragile little human. Why wouldn’t you be afraid?”

Tensa frowns at him. “Because if the world was such a bad place, then Father and I would be dead by now. You would have never come and saved us from… From him. But I never lost hope and now we can finally be happy, and that has to count for something.”

Shiro studies the prince’s face for a moment and then squeezes his eyes shut; what does he say in argument to that? What  _ proof _ does he have? He could sit Tensa down right now and tell him about all the horrors of war, the kings who buried their queens one after the other after beating them into submission resulted in their deaths, the dungeons overfilled with rotting corpses and sickly, starving people begging for the end to come. Through all of the hardships and difficulties he’s seen in battle, he could make Tensa understand.

_ Someone who accepts his gentleness as a gift worth protecting rather than a weakness. _

Or he can let him have this hope and nurture it instead. And shield him from the worst of what will likely come as time passes, do his best to protect him. But  _ why _ —

“Shiro-san, I… I know life isn’t perfect by any means. You have no idea how much I saw my father suffer because I said something I shouldn’t have.” Tensa’s voice is softer now, more hesitant, and Shiro’s heart lurches at his words. “But now he can be happy. And so can I, and so can Gin. We can live… Freely, and I. I can’t think the world is bad because we’re alive and safe and that’s all I ever really hoped for.”

“You’re soft.” Shiro forces his eyes open and walks forward, and this time Tensa doesn’t flinch away from him. “You’re gooey inside and out. There’s nothing hard about you, no sharp edges. The world is just waiting to take a bite out of you, and you’d let it.”

Tensa drags his teeth over his lower lip but says nothing, not even when Shiro touches his cheek, fingers brushing over the soft skin. He holds Shiro’s gaze and waits.

It would be so easy to hurt him. He’s fragile and delicate and it would be so easy to squeeze just a little too hard and feel him shatter into little pieces. But Shiro can just as easily imagine those shards digging into his flesh so deep he’d never get them out.

“I guess that means something’s gotta stand between you and the rest of the world to make sure it can’t do that.” At his words, Tensa’s eyes widen. “I  _ guess _ I can do that.”

He isn’t prepared for the way the prince quite literally  _ throws a fucking arm around his neck _ but Shiro lets him, patting him lightly on the back. He isn’t used to this kind of affection. He’s prickly, keeps people at bay, but Tensa doesn’t have the common sense to stay away from him, which bodes well for a future where Shiro is going to have to drag him away from every sharp and toothy thing that his heart decides to bleed for.

“Are you just going to  _ keep _ hugging me?” he demands after a minute.

Tensa’s fingers press harder into his back. “I thought you missed being close to me.”

“Shut up.” Shiro drops his chin onto Tensa’s shoulder, unwilling to admit that  _ yes, _ he did miss being close to him. And he feels like such a fool because he barely knows him and yet he feels incredibly drawn toward protecting him. “You’re very presumptuous.”

His hand darts down Tensa’s back and trails up his spine, feeling the softness of his skin through the shirt he’s wearing today. Though he’d only seen Yhwach for a brief moment before being saddled with the task of finding the prince and bringing him back alive, Shiro’s impression of the man had been that he was pure, bulky muscle that would be hard to take down. Tensa is much more like Sosuke, slender and soft to the touch, and that’s… Absurdly pleasing in a way it shouldn’t be, Shiro is such an  _ idiot _ .

Most demons prefer powerful, strong mates and here he is, acting an idiot over  _ this. _

Tensa steps back after a moment and Shiro’s eyes dart down to the book in his hand. “What’s that? You’ve been in that damn room all day, that book better be good.”

“Oh, um, it’s…” Tensa trails off, and Shiro watches his cheeks grow pink as he tries to turn away. “It’s nothing you’d be interested in reading, I don’t think— Shiro-san!”

“What?” Shiro holds the book carefully in one hand, keeping it just out of Tensa’s reach. “No need to be shy now. You ran all the way up here looking for me and now you don’t want to share your reading material? I’m surprised you’d shy away from me now.”

“It’s just not something I think you’d like to read, so there’s no point in telling you.” Tensa lunges for the book, then squeaks when he loses his footing and nearly falls.

Without effort, Shiro catches him around the waist. He’s so light that it would be  _ easy _ to sweep him off of his feet and just hold him, but Shiro refrains from that. For now. “You don’t seem awfully keen about being this high up. You afraid of heights?”

“A little.” Tensa wavers slightly on his feet and Shiro steadies him with a hand at his waist, wondering how much trouble he’s going to get in for copping a feel. “It’s just… Nothing.”

“You’re about to tell me another story about that bastard that’s going to make me wish I’d gotten to be the one to kill him, aren’t you?” Shiro asks, and Tensa smiles sadly.

The expression becomes one of confusion a moment later, which is at least bearable. “Why are you so angry with him? I understand Mugetsu-san’s feelings toward him because he cares so much for my father, but you seemed not to care either way—”

“You’re dense about the simplest things. It’s almost cute.” Shiro squeezes Tensa’s hip gently before forcing himself to let go before he does something he probably should not do until more time has passed. “It pisses me off to think he treated you like a cockroach is all. Made you afraid of things, of people. So scared you can’t let it go now that he’s gone.”

“In all fairness, falling from such a height would kill anyone outright who isn’t protected by some form of magic,” Tensa protests, and Shiro supposes that has to be true.

He smiles wickedly and tucks the book back into Tensa’s hand. “Then how about you let me help you conquer that fear? We’ll just jump from right here straight to the ground.”

Tensa’s face goes comically white at the suggestion, but it’s less funny than it should have been. “You’ll get us both killed if you do that.  _ Please _ don’t hurt yourself.”

“I’ve fallen from much greater distances and not suffered any injuries. You forget what I am, you know.” Shiro is not used to having to  _ talk _ to someone like this, but… This human might just be worth it, so he had better just suck it up and deal with it. “Did I not just tell you I would protect you, keep you safe? I meant it. Do you trust me?”   


“Of course I trust you. But that doesn’t mean I want to endanger myself,” Tensa says.

Shiro chances stepping closer to him, cupping his chin so those pretty blue eyes cannot look away from his. Hell, pretty isn’t even the right word. They are  _ beautiful. _ No gem could ever hope to capture this magnificence. “You’ll be safe with me. I promise you.”

“Why would we do something so stupid?” Tensa demands. “I don’t  _ need _ to conquer it.”

“But you should. You should take back all the shit that bastard tried to take from you now that he’s not here anymore. I can help with this one thing.” Shiro winks at him. “And if I die trying, well, hey, get yourself a stronger demon who can take care of you.”

“Bastard,” Tensa murmurs, and Shiro is impressed he can even curse. “Fine, then. How do you want to go about doing— Oh! This is obscene, put me down right now!”

“Not likely, little prince.” Shiro wouldn’t  _ dream _ of setting him down right now.

Holding Tensa in his arms is better than it has any right to be, the light weight of him so warm and secure in his embrace that it sends a little thrill through his body that he hardly understands. One arm remains cradling the book to his chest while Tensa wraps the other around his neck, clinging to him so tightly that a weaker man might have choked from the strain. Shiro is stronger than that, though, and no mere man. And he walks with purposeful strides toward the edge of the roof. What would a little jump hurt, after all?

“I’m scared,” Tensa whispers the moment they reach the edge, and his arm tightens even further, his entire body tensing up. “I don’t want to get hurt.”

Shiro kisses the top of his head, his lips brushing against the silky curls there as he presses his boot to the edge of the roof. “Take this as proof that nothing is ever going to be able to harm you as long as I’m there to stand between you and it.”

“Do you promise?” Tensa peeks up at him, and his eyes are blazing with intensity.

“I swear.” Shiro bumps their foreheads together. “On my fucking life, I’ll protect you.”

Tensa squeezes his eyes shut. “Okay. Okay, then I guess… I guess we can jump.”

He screams. Shiro is prepared for that, for the volume and the shrillness as they plummet to the ground at a speed that would frighten most humans likely to death. It’s a breeze for him, no different really than taking a step on a staircase, but Tensa clings to him so tightly and so desperately that he hugs him closer to his chest to reassure him, letting Tensa press his head up under his chin so he feels secure. The air whistles by them, a loud shriek of a sound, but it’s nothing. Not to Shiro. He’s done this before.

When he hands, it’s on the balls of his feet, rocking back onto his heels in one fluid motion. Completely unscathed, holding his trembling prince tightly in his arms.

“You’re safe,” he says, straightening up so Tensa can see around them. “Look. You’re fine.”

It takes a mighty effort for Tensa to do just that, uncurling his body to look at the scenery around them— The edge of the gardens, the mountains, the people staring at them in open shock before a sharp glance from Shiro sends them on their way. After a moment, the tension slowly fades from Tensa’s body and Shiro feels safe setting him on his feet, keeping a hand at his waist to keep him steady just in case.

“How was that? Was it as bad as you thought it would be?” Shiro asks him.

Tensa shakes his head slowly, his hand coming to rest on Shiro’s forearm, holding him in place. “No. I… I’m fine. I didn’t think we’d survive a fall like that, but… It’s okay.”

“Nothing to be afraid of, see? I promised you I’d keep you safe from anything that tried to harm you.” When Tensa looks over at him, timidly smiling, Shiro holds out his other hand. “Now give me the damn book. If you can take falling off of a roof, then there’s no reason for you to hide a book from me. Let me see that’s embarrassed you.”

He’s truly impressed that Tensa summons the will to be scandalized. “I should have  _ known _ you were only doing this for— Oh, oh, I’m not… I need to sit down.”

“You all right?” Shiro catches him around the waist and helps him sit on the ground, unsurprised when Tensa leans heavily against him. So trusting right away that anyone could take advantage of him, which means Shiro will likely have to kill for him. “Just breathe.”

“I think it was just the sudden altitude change. I’m fine.” Tensa pulls the book tighter against his chest, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. “I’m not showing you this because you’re just going to use it as an excuse to make fun of me.”

Shiro clicks his tongue. “I’m gonna do that either way. Just let me look at the book.”

“But I don’t like it when you make jokes at my expense,” Tensa protests.

“Then what do you like?” Shiro catches him under the chin and makes the prince look at him properly once more, and fuck, he’s really exceptionally beautiful even when his face is going bright, bright red with shyness. “I can’t imagine _ any  _ of my personality is—”

“When you’re nice to me despite yourself, I like that. When I was braiding your hair, you were… Trying. I liked that. I liked how you were up on the roof just now, too.” Tensa shoves the book out of sight. “And you’re going to start laughing at me again if I show you this, and I want to enjoy the niceness a little more, so don’t ruin it right away.”

_ For fuck’s sake, he’s so gentle it’s going to break me. _ “Then I promise I won’t make fun of you or laugh at you. If I do, you can go get my brother to beat the shit out of me.”

“It wouldn’t make me feel better to see you in pain,” Tensa mutters, and  _ for the love of— _

“Then I’ll just outright promise and you’ll have to trust me.” Shiro lets go of his chin to cup his cheek instead, noticing the way he leans into it. Wondering if he’s been starved of affection from anyone except Sosuke, the only person who’s likely shown him any tenderness for the entirety of his life. That’s… Not a thought that makes him feel good in any way. No wonder Tensa likes it more when he’s trying to be sweet to him.

Tensa studies his face for a moment before shoving the book at him and twisting away, clearly trying to offer up some meager defense against the reaction he expects.

Shiro rolls his eyes at Tensa’s back before turning the book over in his hands, then opening it to the place Tensa has marked with a piece of paper. Most literature is beyond his realm of understanding because he just doesn’t want to sit down and read but it takes him maybe seconds to realize he is holding a book of poetry— fitting for the prince— and that it is a book of  _ love _ poetry. Every page is  _ oozing _ with sticky sweet lines and words.

The poem Tensa has marked is pretty outwardly, obviously about love at first sight.

So  _ that _ is why he doesn’t want Shiro to see the book. “Are you shy about admitting you’re interested in someone? That’s normal. Who is it that’s caught your eye?”

_ Hopefully _ he’s picked out someone who’s good enough for someone like him.

“You’re insufferable,” Tensa murmurs, and Shiro makes a noise at his back because  _ excuse _ him for not understanding this. “Who do you think? Who do you  _ really _ think?”

“I don’t know. I’m…” He’s an idiot. “Little prince,  _ surely _ you know just how bad of an idea that is. You seem smart. You  _ know _ what kind of bastard I am already.”

He can’t be serious. He  _ cannot _ seriously be… No. Shiro will not  _ let _ him—

“You scared me the first night I saw you. I thought… I thought you’d come to kill me, and then just before I blacked out, I thought maybe that was for the best. Maybe it’d be better to have a quick, moderately painless death than to keep suffering.” Tensa’s voice goes dangerously soft and Shiro’s hands tremble slightly. He has to set the book down to reassure himself that he isn’t going to rip it into pieces. “Maybe I just wanted to die to get away from everything. I couldn’t save Father, and watching him… I just couldn’t.”

Shiro is an idiot. He really did convince himself that Tensa was stupid enough to view the world in such a childish way without any sense of reality and he’d entirely… He is an  _ idiot. _

“And then an assassin came and you just… Got rid of him. I was so horrified and I feel stupid for that now, but maybe part of me thought it was okay if I died.” Tensa’s voice keeps lowering in volume until Shiro has to lean closer to him to listen to him, his forehead braced against the boy’s back. Just how long has he felt this way?

“Stop,” he rasps, and his voice sounds dead to his own ears. “I can’t fucking sit here and listen to you talk about dying anymore. I’m not gonna  _ let _ you die like that.”

His hand gropes around the prince to pull him close and Tensa’s hand settles on top of his, gripping it just as tightly. “You don’t understand. I was ready to die and then you came and you saved me and you protected me. You don’t even  _ like _ me but you watched over me.”

“I like you just fine,” Shiro argues, pressing his face into Tensa’s soft brown curls.

“It’s so stupid how much I want you to like me. I feel like such an idiot.” Tensa’s voice is  _ wet _ now and Shiro sits up straight so he can yank the prince back against his chest, holding him tightly. Arms shielding him. “I wanted your desire to be close to me to be because you wanted to be next to me. Just because of me. And that’s… That’s so  _ childish… _ ”

Tensa is so young and delicate and Shiro deserves the death penalty, no, something  _ far _ worse, for ever thinking about hurting him, about breaking him.

He rests his chin on Tensa’s shoulder, noses into his hair again. “Stop being so mean to yourself. I thought that was supposed to be my job? And you’re not being childish. You just… Grew up in this fucking hellscape and you want someone to love you.”

“That feels so selfish when there’s so many worse things that… That  _ he _ did,” Tensa says.

“Stop trying to act like the ways he hurt you aren’t bad just because he physically abused your father. You’ve got just as many scars. Some of yours aren’t as visible, that’s all.” Shiro forces Tensa to turn around and face him, and he wishes he hadn’t a moment later when he finds himself brushing a few stray tears away.  _ Fuck, _ why does it have to be crying? “I gotta say, though… I can’t exactly approve of you trying to fall in love with  _ me. _ ”

Tensa sniffles and rubs at his nose, looking down and away. “I know. Demons… I’ve watched some of the others. Your kind seem to prefer strong mates, if not physically than mentally. Even Father’s a lot stronger than people think he is. I’m nothing like that.”

“That’s not— First of all, the fuck you aren’t?” Shiro forces Tensa to look at him, framing the prince’s face in both of his hands. “Do you realize how incredibly strong you have to be to survive this? I know I call you weak, but… I mean, I’ve spent half my time knowing you just trying to figure out how you could be a good person at all growing up in this place.”

“Then why is it such a bad thing for me to have feelings for you?” Tensa asks.

This conversation is not going the way Shiro wants it to. “Because you really should think about finding someone who’s going to be able to value you properly? Or something? Someone better than me. You could find someone better suited for you than me.”

“I don’t want someone better suited. I know I don’t know you well but… I want to get to know you. I’m young, I’m stupid. I know. The feelings will probably just go away but would it be so bad just to see? Until they do?” Tensa sounds far too hopeful, and Shiro  _ can’t _ —

He absolutely shouldn’t. Tensa deserves better than him. “You would regret it so fast.”

“Then it’s an experience to grow from.” Tensa scoots minutely closer to him and Shiro’s exhale comes out in a small shudder. “I’d rather learn from someone I know wouldn’t hurt me, who swore to protect me, than someone who’d break me just to see if they could.”

_ Fuck. _ Shiro drops his head. “I guess I did say I’d protect you. You got me there.”

“Please.” It’s the first time he’s used that exact word and it makes Shiro’s chest burn. “I’m not so stupid I don’t see that you care about me. I know you do. I… Please, Shiro-san.”

“Just. Just Shiro, if you’re going to… Fuck.” Inhale. Exhale. “Your father is going to kill me for this. My brother is going to kill me for this. Your  _ entire _ kingdom—”

Tensa throws his arms around Shiro’s shoulders then, and the reasoning breaks on his lips in the softness of Tensa’s embrace. His hands move of their own accord, smoothing up and down the boy’s back before drawing him in close, shielding him, protecting him, keeping him as near and safe as possible, letting him let go just this once. Would it really be so bad to let him see what it might be like if someone treated him with respect and tenderness? It doesn’t have to be true love. It probably  _ won’t _ be, he’s just barely an adult, but…

A single positive experience. He probably deserves that after what he’s been through.

“I just want this,” Tensa insists. “I just want you. Even if it’s only for a little while.”

Shiro tilts his head, presses a kiss to Tensa’s throat and listens to the way his breath hitches at the gentle touch. “I’ll be careful with you. I already promised that. And if I’m not, it ain’t like you don’t have a line of defense ready to be there for you.”

“I trust you. I won’t need them.” Tensa sits back to look at him and smiles, and Shiro tries to ignore the way his heart trips at the sight. He is  _ not _ going to be an idiot about this.

Sighing, he picks up the book of poetry and tosses it to Tensa, then flops over with his head in the prince’s lap. The offended expression on his face is worth it. “Don’t look at me like that. You deprived me of your presence all day, little prince. Why don’t you read to me? It’ll make up for all those hours I had to spend without you, and this book must obviously be pretty fantastic if it was making you realize you were in love with me..”

Tensa blushes faintly but clears his throat and opens the book. “Fine, then. If you’re so keen on making up lost time, then I’ll read to you. You are  _ not _ allowed to laugh at me.”

Shiro doesn’t laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohhhhhhh no he's soft too


	11. Chapter 11

If Sosuke is going to marry Mugetsu, he needs to know what a demon looks for in a mate.

This occurs to him a week after Mugetsu gives him the necklace, a week after he watches Tensa return to the palace cradling the book of love poetry he found against his chest with Shiro’s arm wrapped comfortably around his shoulders. He gets distracted watching his son during this period of time. While Tensa has always been beautiful, flourishing in a way no other living creature should have been able to, he  _ blooms _ under Shiro’s attention. First love is potent and something seems to have clicked between the two of them.

Shiro is as prickly as always but sometimes when he thinks no one is watching, or their attention is turned elsewhere, he’ll run his fingers through the ends of Tensa’s hair or touch his face or his shoulder, just something small and reassuring and gentle. It isn’t anything like Sosuke expects out of him. He expects the exact opposite.

_ None _ of Mugetsu’s demons are anything like he expects them to be, though, and he spends a week struggling to understand them so he can better appeal to them.

“You’re going to hurt yourself thinking that hard, love,” Gin tells him one afternoon, combing his fingers through the full length of Sosuke’s hair as he does when he worries.

Gently, Sosuke shakes him off. “I just need to know. I need to  _ learn. _ They live here, now.”

“I know. I know they do. I’m just saying.” Gin sighs and takes his hand and kisses it, and Sosuke smiles fondly at him. “I just want ya to be happy finally.”

Sosuke wants to be happy, too. He doesn’t want to feel like a prisoner in his own home.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are one of the easiest pairs to watch because they seem to be out and about often enough— Grimmjow never seems able to contain himself to one space for very long. Instead, he roams the palace and the grounds and the gardens, and he’s so booming and loud that it’s not hard to tell when he’s near. Whether Ulquiorra follows him by choice or simply because Grimmjow wants him to, Sosuke is not sure.

“We’re going to have to like, soften all these hard corners,” Grimmjow says one day. He’s standing at a bend in the hallway, hand pressed where the walls meet in a sharp angle. “Because any kids are gonna bump into this and hurt themselves so bad.”

Ulquiorra looks like he may not quite believe this. “Our skin is much tougher than that.”

“Was it when we were like, small?” Grimmjow looks at him, and his ears— soft and fluffy and blue-green— twitch with interest. “I can’t remember, it was so long ago. Like I just don’t recall that much of it but you’re not supposed to remember that far back in childhood. Hey, queen, how much do you remember? You’re a lot younger than we are.”

Sosuke, who is pretending to look out the window to seem like he was not spying on their conversation, glances back at Grimmjow, feigning ignorance. “Sorry? I didn’t catch that.”

Ulquiorra looks like he may not quite believe that, but he does repeat the question just the same. “Grimmjow wants to know how far back in your childhood you remember.”

“Oh, that.” It’s an odd question and one Sosuke does not quite  _ like, _ per se. Because his childhood was when he was groomed to be Yhwach’s future bride, and it makes his chest ache to think he could never just be a normal child. There were so many expectations and limitations on everything he could do even then. “I think to maybe age four?”

Grimmjow’s tail twitches behind him. “What was the first thing you can really remember?”

It takes him a minute to come back with an answer. “Butterflies. I remember playing outside in the garden and there were butterflies. Beautiful black and purple ones.”

“Black and purple? With small white spots?” Ulquiorra asks, frowning when Sosuke nods. As much of them as he can remember, anyway. “Hmm. That’s interesting.”

“Is there anything… Particularly special about them?” Sosuke asks uncertainly.

“Not really. I’ve seen them before. I was just thinking it’s been a while since I have, but then before we came here, we were much further down south. Must not be their territory.” Ulquiorra looks thoughtful, but Sosuke knows admittedly little about insects and it’s never been of great interest to him. He prefers flowers to bugs.

Grimmjow smacks the juncture of the wall with his hand. “What do you think King would say if we asked him to smooth this out, make it more rounded? Or would that fuck up the foundation? I feel like once we destroy the infrastructure it isn’t easily replaced.”

“I just  _ told _ you,” Ulquiorra says, and Sosuke drifts away to let them talk.

Nnoitra and Tesla are easily watchable as well for similar reasons; Nnoitra is noisy and boisterous and fidgets with everything, and he never wants to stay in one place for very long. Sosuke doesn’t seem him for two days and worries and decides to go check on him only to have Tesla meet him at the door looking just a little spastic and shy.

“I just wanted to make sure the two of you were okay,” Sosuke explains when he asks, not sure he has ever seen Tesla look cagey. But then, he barely knows him. Maybe this is normal for him, and his cool and calm exterior is an oddity that has finally faded away.

Tesla sighs and glances over his shoulder. “I don’t think you want to see him. He’s pissed.”

“Did something happen?” Sosuke admittedly doesn’t have to keep up with the demons as much as Mugetsu does. He just has to stay safe and sane and take care of his son, which is a nice change of pace but does make him feel somewhat unnecessary as a ruling figure.

“Kind of?” Tesla’s voice goes a little higher-pitched at the end and Sosuke jumps when he hears a low, rumbling sort of growl from inside. “Nnoitra is indisposed at the moment because his kind need to rest quite a bit once they finally fall pregnant.”

_ Pregnant. _ The word is not unfamiliar to Sosuke; he remembers finding out he was going to have a child. He remembers the elation, of course, and the fear, and the certainty that he had to find a way to protect the baby from Yhwach. “Congratulations are in order, then.”

“Who’s there?” Nnoitra’s voice is not soft nor lovely nor sweet. It’s raspy and mean and it has an edge, and he rolls a lot of letters around on his tongue before spitting them out like chewed iron nails. Sosuke likes him fairly well. “Oh, you’re talking to the queen.”

“He wanted to make sure we were okay since he hasn’t seen us up and about recently.” Tesla hesitates before finally stepping back and allowing Sosuke into their bedroom.

The bed is a meticulous mess of blankets and sheets and pillows all set up carefully to make a pseudo-nest, and Sosuke is surprised at the structure. In the center of it all is Nnoitra sprawling over everything, all six arms curled in loosely against his torso. He looks grumpy and less than thrilled with his current situation, but he manages a kind of sleepy smile just the same as he drags himself over to the edge of his nest to meet Sosuke properly. Even lying down, Nnoitra is long and intimidating and  _ huge _ in so many ways.

Sosuke has to get used to feeling small and helpless around these beautiful, dangerous creatures or he’s going to spend the rest of his life feeling weak and scared.

“Sorry to worry you, Queen.” Nnoitra says the title like it means nothing, like it’s just a nickname, and Sosuke thinks it makes sense. They talk to Mugetsu like one of them, still, like their leader certainly but not superior to them. “Just don’t hold up well once it takes. You probably know how that goes, I bet the little prince really took it out of you.”

“He did. It was very exhausting.” He spent so much of the pregnancy in bed because he was sick and frail and bruised, after all. It was a miracle Tensa made it out of his womb.

It makes Sosuke  _ angry _ when he remembers it, too, how much he quailed in fear with his arms wrapped around his belly. How he worked so hard to only say the right things, to just let Yhwach have what he wanted with no argument because he just wanted their baby to live. Yhwach wanted him specifically so he could bear him an heir and then came severely close to forcing a miscarriage. What was the  _ point _ of it all if he was going to do that?

“Easy.” Nnoitra’s hand is cool against the side of his face and Sosuke blinks at the touch of it, those long fingers combing through his hair. “Take a couple of breaths.”

Sosuke realizes his hands are clenched into fists and his face is hot, and he forces himself to exhale slowly. “I’m sorry. I remembered something and went away for a bit.”

“That bastard?” Nnoitra doesn’t say his name, but he doesn’t have to. They all know who he means, and Sosuke nods because it’s true. “I thought so. Come here, damn it.”

He doesn’t give Sosuke a chance to  _ come here _ at all, just bodily lifts him off of the floor and into the nest with him, using three hands and making Sosuke feel every bit like a rag doll in the process. Just the same, Nnoitra sets him down gently and rubs his back soothingly, runs a hand through his hair and then Sosuke is crying. It starts out like a small burn behind his eyes and then he’s hiccuping into his own hands while Tesla paces nervously around the room and Nnoitra holds him and tells him to just let it out.

“Won’t do you any good keeping it all bottled up,” Nnoitra says, and Sosuke chokes on a sob because he  _ knows _ but he’s been taught to keep it in for so long that he doesn’t know how to be a real person anymore. “Let it go. Let it all out in the open.”

“He could have  _ killed _ my  _ child _ .” Just putting it out in the world feels so wrong, like it’s something Sosuke should have swallowed. Like he should love Tensa and forget all the bad because he got something so good, so pure and beautiful and perfect, out of it. “He just wanted to use me to give him an heir and then he almost  _ destroys _ him before he’s born.”

Nnoitra’s voice is softer and more dangerous when he speaks. “Is that so? I’m starting to really hate Mugetsu for killing the bastard before any of us got a piece of him.”

“I just.” Sosuke hiccups again and Nnoitra wipes tears away from his cheeks before he can. Nnoitra’s fingers are cooler than his and they feel almost pleasant against his hot skin. “I don’t understand. I keep trying to understand and I just don’t. Why did it have to be me? Why? He didn’t love me. He didn’t want me. He didn’t want our son.”

“Fuck,” Tesla whispers, and Nnoitra hums softly in answer before cupping Sosuke’s cheek.

“In my experience,” he says, picking and choosing his words carefully, “people like that don’t have a reason. They pick something shiny they want and then realize it’s a real person, but you can’t just make a real person do what you want. People aren’t ornaments. So you have to beat them into subjugation or ruin them or kill them. That’s just… How it goes.”

Sosuke sniffles pitifully and nods because it’s true, and he knows it is. “Your experience… Was there someone who treated you like that?”

“There was someone who  _ tried, _ ” Nnoitra says delicately, “but I killed him. But for a little bit I like… I understood it. How it could be scary. How it could feel like you were trapped, and you were physically trapped. He could’ve killed the kitsune or your kid or even you.”

“I think I would have been okay with him killing me if it meant he stopped hurting the two of them.” And it’s frightening to admit that, but Sosuke knows it to be the truth.

Nnoitra makes a small disparaging noise at that and then sticks his sharp noise right into Sosuke’s hair. “I don’t fucking like that. Don’t say that again. It’s too terrible to say.”

Sosuke feels stupidly fond of Nnoitra in that moment. “I won’t. But you understand?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I understand. And I’m glad it didn’t happen because you didn’t deserve it.” Nnoitra nuzzles his hair a little and then leans back to look down at him, and even on the bed together, it is looking  _ down _ . He is so tall. In every sense of the word. “You deserve to live and be happy. And I guess fuck the king if you really wanted to.”

Tesla makes a horrible choked sound. “Nnoitra, don’t just say it like that.”

“Why not? Why not just say it the way it is?” Nnoitra sneers at him and then cradles Sosuke’s face in two of his hands. “Look at me for real. You got another chance at having the life you fucking deserve, so take it with both hands.  _ Demand _ it if you gotta.”

“I know. I will. I understand.” Sosuke tries to brush away a tear but Nnoitra is there before he is. “Thank you. Not to change the subject to something less tense and awful, but how do you already know you’re pregnant? Humans usually take a while to figure it out.”

With the tension in the room easing, Tesla’s shoulders relax. “Demons always know when it happens. It’s an addition to the current, so you’re immediately aware of it.”

“The current…” Sosuke says slowly, wracking his brain. Has Gin ever talked about it?

“Current’s what we call the magic that’s in all of us.” Nnoitra taps himself firmly on the chest. “It’s like a big circuit or whatever. Like a circle. You have something fuck up one small part of it, the entire system is off. It’s really easy to disrupt humans who use magic because of that. Much harder with us, but hey, it can be done. I’ve seen it done.”

Tesla hums thoughtfully and pulls himself into the nest properly. “I’ve seen Halibel do it for punishment. It doesn’t take much. You take one small piece away.”

“Or even just a normal disruption, like a charm or a spell. Works every time.” Nnoitra rests a hand on his stomach. “The minute a new life pops up, it registers. It’s gotta so we can adapt to it right away. If it didn’t, we’d be fucked. We’d be disrupted and that makes us vulnerable which can put us and the kids in danger. It’s always been this way.”

“It’s something innate to demons, queen,” Tesla says softly, and Sosuke nods. He doesn’t quite understand the mechanics of it, but he can accept the explanation just fine.

Nnoitra makes a big show of helping him out of the nest while Tesla frets over him. “Just come visit any time you want. I’ll be hanging out in here a hell of a lot to rest.”

There are other mated pairs, but Sosuke finds himself gravitating toward his son once more just the same. Maybe it’s because Tensa is a human like him, and so gentle and kind that a hellion like Shiro should have been the exact opposite partner to choose him. Or maybe it’s just because Shiro is Mugetsu’s brother, and despite the fact the two of them seem quite different, Sosuke is hoping there might be some similarities somewhere.

The two of them are in the garden just below his bedroom balcony one day, so though it may be rude, he leans against the railing and listens to them talking below.

“—think it’s bullshit,” Shiro says, his voice surly and unhappy. Something has clearly upset him. “If all that mattered was physical strength  _ I’d _ be the king of this place.”

Tensa makes a small, amused noise in the back of his throat. “I don’t think it quite works that way. Mugetsu-san seems very strong in his own right just in terms of physical strength. Are you sure you’re stronger than he is?”

“What!” Shiro’s voice comes out in a squawk and Sosuke has to flatten a hand against his mouth to keep from laughing. “I’m  _ much _ stronger than he is. I’ll even prove it to you.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll just have to take your word for it. I’m not a voyeur of physical violence, after all.” Tensa sniffs and Sosuke smiles; his son knows better than to give into something so brutal and needless when there are better avenues.

Shiro is quiet for a moment before heaving a sigh. “I guess that’s true. Well, it doesn’t even matter who’s stronger because I have  _ you _ and that’s not something he can say.”

“I suppose that’s right,” Tensa says, and Sosuke preens at the obvious pleasure in his voice, the fact he’s happy Shiro would say something like that for him. He deserves to be proud of himself and to value himself in such a way, something Sosuke hopes he’s been able to teach him even though Yhwach had tried to beat his son down mentally and emotionally. “But he’s going to have my father, and I think that’s pretty important, too.”

For a moment, Shiro is quiet. Then he clears his throat, and his voice is slightly quieter. “It means a lot to him, I think, trying to win your father over. He may not say it, but it does.”

“I know it means a lot to him. I can tell with the way he talks to Father. The gifts.  _ He _ never really did anything like that for either of us.” Tensa makes a small noise in the back of his throat. “When I was thirteen years old, he gave me a sword.”

“What the fuck would he give you a sword for? You don’t  _ fight, _ ” Shiro spits out.

Tensa scoffs at him. “Why do you think he gave it to me? He wanted me to fight. He said it was time I learned. He and Father had an awful fight about it because I started crying.”

“Mm. I like this story a hell of a lot less now.” Shiro’s voice changes just slightly; Sosuke can hear the low, unhappy growl under his words. “Bastard made you cry all the time, didn’t he? I can just imagine someone that cold and callous ruining your entire life.”

“He did,” Tensa agrees, and Sosuke’s heart hurts. “Anyway, I never kept the sword. But it was the only gift he ever gave me, and he never gave Father anything nice or sweet.”

“That’s fucking atrocious. It’s like…  _ Normal _ to give your mate presents. You’re supposed to do that anyway, like, to impress them.” Shiro is lost; the growl in his voice has dissipated into something almost sweetly confused. “You bring lavish gifts or you kill things and bring them back or just… Something. You don’t just get anything, you have to earn it.”

“Are you going to work hard to earn me, then?” Tensa asks, and his voice is teasing.

Shiro is silent for a long moment. When he speaks, he sounds like himself once more. “I’ll give you anything you want. You say the word and I’ll put it in the palm of your hand.”

Sosuke leaves them be the moment the conversation becomes something he should no longer be listening to and finds himself searching for Gin for lack of anything better to do. He feels restless and though he should probably talk to Mugetsu directly, he wants to talk to someone who might  _ get it _ a little better. Or give him some advice. Or tell him to his face he’s acting like a fool trying to figure out if there is some standard for how he should behave to suit a demon lord, or if he should just stop trying to act at all and be himself.

_ I have to do what’s right for Tensa and for myself. I have to make sure this is perfect. I can’t give him any reason to not want me at his side no matter what I need to be. _

Perfection has to be something he an achieve. Mugetsu needs to want him close and safe and protected, to treat him as something fragile and precious so that he never has to suffer again. So that Tensa can have the life he deserves. And Sosuke… He wants to believe it’s possible just the way things are, that he doesn’t  _ have _ to do anything, but…

But if he’s wrong, he risks his son’s life. And he doesn’t want to do that.

He should be paying attention to where he’s walking but when he rounds a corner and runs  _ right into _ the person his thoughts are circulating around, he doesn’t see him coming. He stumbles but Mugetsu’s broad, warm hands are around his waist a moment later to keep him stable on his feet. The little yelp of shock feels ludicrous and stupid now.

“Sosuke.” Mugetsu’s voice is soft and fond and it makes his heart somersault in his chest. It’s  _ foolish _ just how little it takes. How much of him has been beaten down into submission that so little kindness can affect him? “Sorry I didn’t hear you coming. Are you all right?”

“Of course. It’s a lovely day. I was just enjoying the view from the balcony when I decided to come back in.” He doesn’t mention Shiro or Tensa because Mugetsu does not need to know he was intentionally listening in on their conversation.

The warm crimson eyes he’s slowly growing used to soften and he nods, letting Sosuke go and putting a fair amount of distance between the two of them. He’s been good about that ever since Sosuke said he wanted space. He hasn’t woken up in Mugetsu’s arms since the first night, and he tries to tell himself he isn’t just a little disappointed in that. After all, he was the one who set the boundary in the first place. He should just be glad Mugetsu respects it, and him, enough to do as he asks him to do.

“What have you been up to today? It must be a very busy day for you,” Sosuke says.

Mugetsu nods; Sosuke hasn’t seen him since this morning, which is not exactly unusual but it bothers him just a touch. “Szayel finished setting up his laboratory downstairs in the former dungeons and he wanted to walk me through every square inch of it.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. I wasn’t aware you had someone interested in science among your men.” He remembers Szayel, but only briefly, pale rose hair and mischievous golden eyes.

“He’s never had time to properly sit down and study the way he wants to, so I told him he could have all the time in the world to do as he pleases now. Within reason, of course.” Mugetsu’s eyes dart around his face and Sosuke knows that he must be able to tell something is wrong even if he doesn’t out and out ask about it.

Is it good for him not to ask? Maybe he thinks it is prying. Maybe he wants Sosuke to trust him enough to tell him without having to ferret out the information himself. “That’s good for him, then. It looks like all of your people are settling in very comfortably.”

“They are. Your people have been very welcoming of us. I appreciate that.” Mugetsu is careful to separate each word so that Sosuke can feel their individual weight. “I wanted to mention this, but I hope you’re comfortable with Shiro and Tensa’s… I suppose relationship? That they’re attempting. If not, I can say something to him.”

_ Oh. _ “No, it’s fine. Initially I might have been a little concerned, but Tensa’s very drawn to him. I think it’s best for them to have their space to figure this out together.”

“I felt the same, but Tensa is your son and I know you’d know what’s best for him.” Just the same, Mugetsu smiles. It’s small and fond and it makes Sosuke’s heart  _ ache _ .

“Tensa needs this, to just… Have something small and new all to himself. And Shiro seems particularly soft toward him, so I’m not adverse to it at all.” He isn’t the man he was the first day they knew each other when Sosuke thought he might have been threatening.

Mugetsu’s smile widens slightly. “I agree with you. I think it’s good that Shiro learns to open himself up a little in a way that does not involve violence or bloodshed.”

“It’s good for everyone, I think.” Sosuke’s hand rises to the pendant at his throat, fingers brushing over the small orb. It still feels warm against his fingers, pleasantly smooth. He finds himself playing with it so often these days. “It’s nice to see so much happiness in the palace for a change. It’s certainly not something that I’m used to seeing.”

“We’re going to make sure it stays like this for as long as possible,” Mugetsu says.

Sosuke believes him. The conviction in his voice and in his eyes is enough to make such a thing seem possible and true even in a world like this. “I’m glad for that. I think we all just want a little peace after Yhwach’s reign. None of us ever thought it would end.”

“You’re glad, though,” Mugetsu says, and Sosuke nods immediately. There is nothing that would make him go back to that life, a life of coldness and pain and desperation unlike anything else he’d ever felt before. “Good. Your happiness is important to me as well, you know. This is your home and I want you to enjoy living here as much as we do.”

“It feels like a home properly now. It didn’t before.” Sosuke touches the wall, the smooth granite texture, the deep blue shot through with emerald green.

He can  _ feel _ the sadness without meeting Mugetsu’s eyes. Maybe they are learning to understand each other. “Let me know if it ever doesn’t feel like home to you and we’ll change it until it does. I never want you to feel like you don’t belong here.”

“I don’t think that’s ever going to be a concern. Not now.” Sosuke takes his hand off of the wall and takes a slow, deep breath and meets Mugetsu’s eyes. “Do you want me as your own? I know you’ve been courting me, but I want to hear it from your own mouth.”

There is no hesitation, no time for Sosuke to worry. “Of course I want you. But I want you to want this on your own terms. I don’t want you to feel pressured into accepting me.”

“I know that.” Sosuke takes a step forward and lays his hand over Mugetsu’s chest, feeling the firm beat of his heart beneath it. His fingers sprawl across the thin black fabric of Mugetsu’s shirt and he can feel the soft texture of his skin beneath it. “Part of me is afraid that if I just keep waiting for the time to be right, time will have run out.”

“There’s no reason to rush into this. We have plenty of time.” Mugetsu’s hand comes to rest on his own and Sosuke inhales sharply. His fingers are so warm and Sosuke is so cold.

He knows they have time. But watching it all pass by while everyone else finds their own piece of happiness is not easy to stomach. “What if I don’t want to wait for all of it?”

“I can’t tell you what to choose, Sosuke. I don’t want to do that.” Mugetsu cups his chin and tilts his head up, and Sosuke has to face those imploring eyes. This man, he thinks, is unfairly beautiful. “I want you to choose on your own, but I also don’t want you to rush into  a decision you’re going to regret and then suffer in your heart because of it.”

“You’d never hurt me even if I thought it was a mistake,” Sosuke reminds him.

Mugetsu’s smile is almost sad. “Of course not. But you’d hurt yourself, even if it’s just with your words or your thoughts, and I don’t want that. I want you to choose freely of your own will and for your own happiness even if it means choosing not to be with me, or choosing someone else instead of me. That is the kindness you deserve.”

“How much time do I need to know?” Sosuke asks, and Mugetsu frowns as if he does not quite understand the question. “How long? Tensa and Shiro didn’t have to wait. How long did your people know one another before they chose to become mated pairs?”

“It’s different for everyone,” Mugetsu says. “But they chose of their own accord, and I want you to do the same. I won’t make the decisions for you. No one else can.”

“Insufferable man.” Sosuke slides his hand up, fingers curling against the side of Mugetsu’s neck. He can feel his pulse beating there, slow and steady and firm like this conversation is not taking a toll on him. Should it? Sosuke doesn’t want him to be upset. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re any smarter than your brother happens to be.”

He leaves Mugetsu standing there at the intersection of the hallway and briskly walks past him. After all, he still needs to find Gin.

They really need to have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love it when both sides of the otp are dumb


	12. Chapter 12

Mugetsu thinks about Sosuke’s hand on his neck for a childish amount of time after their conversation in the hallway. Throughout most of the rest of the day, he feels like he could chase the ghost of the touch if he tried. If he really wanted to, that is.

It feels like there should be a mark, like some way to tell that Sosuke touched him, and so intimately, and with such an intent behind the touch. But when Mugetsu catches himself studying his reflection in one of the glossy, half-mirrored walls, he makes himself walk away and find something to do. There is always something to do in this kingdom.

They don’t talk about it for a few days, and then a few days become a week. Mugetsu always has something to do. He helps reorganize the army so that he can integrate the humans and his own men more effectively. When Szayel needs to show him something down in his lab, he allows himself to be dragged downstairs and talked to about theories and structures and things he doesn’t really ever understand. Giselle understands, and the two of them make great friends. Sometimes Szayel will wind himself up in excitement about something and he grabs Giselle’s hands, and they stand there holding hands just smiling at each other. It’s good for Szayel to have someone who can share in his joy for a change.

Ulquiorra finds him in the garden one day and insists they go down to the town to talk to the humans there, and Mugetsu makes several days of this. He introduces himself to all of them, gets to know them and what they do. He smoothes over the interactions between the palace and the people and assures them that with Yhwach gone, they are going to make positive changes for everybody.  He has no patience for it, but Ulquiorra takes over trade accommodations very well; Mugetsu just has to sign the letters he meticulously writes.

Some nights, he skips sleep entirely. Most nights he returns to bed, Sosuke is already asleep, and Mugetsu never touches him. He gives him space in bed and is usually awake and dressed and out of the room as the sun is just peeking over the horizon. Sosuke is still asleep, and Gin usually doesn’t even crack an eyelid open before he leaves the room.

All in all, he realizes right away he is running away from his problems. He keeps running.

On day ten of running away, Shiro catches him alone in the highest, empty tower of the palace and traps him there. “What the hell is going on with you?”

“Shouldn’t you be watching over the prince?” Mugetsu doesn’t look at him. Rather, he’s examining the tower. It’s open on all sides like a gondola and has a high roof. What do they do with this part of the palace during the winter?  _ Yhwach probably never thought of that. _

“He’s with his father and the fox. He’s fine.” Shiro’s voice clearly says he isn’t thrilled to have Tensa brought up at all. “You gonna just ignore the queen another few days until he’s certain you hate him? ‘Cause that’s all you’re managing to make him think, you idiot.”

Mugetsu sighs. He should have seen that coming. “I don’t have the answers he wants.”

“You sure about that? Because I’m pretty sure you’ve been actively trying to pursue him since you got here until you suddenly start ignoring him.” Shiro stalks up to him and slams a hand down on his shoulder. Nothing about it feels friendly.

It agitates that low-lying instinct to  _ fight back _ in Mugetsu’s gut. “I know what I want, and he can’t decide. I won’t pressure him into making a choice. You need to let go of me.”

“And as per usual you have  _ no _ idea what you’re talking about.” Shiro whirls him around and is in his face, and Mugetsu bites back a snarl. The proximity and the tension is too much in this space, and Shiro has to know that. “You telling me you don’t want him with you?”

“Of course I want him with me. Did you know he went around trying to figure out what I wanted? What he could be? I can’t…” Mugetsu clamps his hand down on Shiro’s wrist and drags his hand away before they both make a mistake they’re going to regret.

He understands. Of course he does. Sosuke is upset, and that is upsetting Tensa, and  _ that _ is upsetting Shiro. Shiro, who is new to love and defensive of such a delicate human, who only wants to make things easier on all of them and has none of the common sense to do such a thing. Who always fights because it’s so much easier to fight than to talk.

Gently, Mugetsu squeezes his brother’s wrist and then lets go of him. He won’t be the one to hurt Shiro because of a misunderstanding. “I just want him to be himself.”

“I don’t think he knows how to do that yet. I think he needs to be with you so he can see that he  _ can _ be himself without you trying to punish him for it,” Shiro insists.

He may be right. Wouldn’t that be something? “I’m afraid of that, though. Of him trying to ascribe to some standard that I don’t have because he thinks it’s what I want.”

“No, he won’t.” Shiro sounds so confident, so sure of himself. “Because Tensa doesn’t. He mouths off to me all the time. Makes all sorts of comments. He’s himself because he knows he doesn’t have to be scared. He knows I’ll protect him so he  _ can _ be himself. But it helped him a lot to have me there. You have to have noticed he’s been acting different.”

“I’ve noticed. You’ve been good for him already.” How could he not notice? Tensa is… Tensa, through and through. He’s more open now than he was. Less likely to cower away, and when he does so much as take a step back, Shiro is there to urge him forward again.

“So give the queen a chance.” Shiro takes a step closer to him, but all he does is give Mugetsu’s shoulder a push. “You were gonna take my arm off at the shoulder for a second, so that’s just proof you’re too fucked up in your own head about this. You need to stop.”

“I didn’t, though. I told you I’d never hurt you like that.” Because Mugetsu will not be like the humans he’s seen, the men who take advantage of their younger siblings.

Shiro’s face impossibly softens. It must be Tensa’s influence. “Yeah, you didn’t. I knew you weren’t going to which is why I did it. See how that works? Now go talk to the queen.”

“What do you think we should do with this space since we’re up here?” Mugetsu looks around once more. He doesn’t want to forget this in that conversation. “I came up here for a reason. This space is nice, but it’s not going to hold during the winter.”

Sighing, Shiro looks around. He’s humoring Mugetsu, of course, but he’s willing to do it. “We’ll just cover the openings with glass during the winter, then.  _ Go find the queen. _ ”

He all but shoves Mugetsu down the long spiral staircase leading to the top floor.

They almost run right into Nianzol, who flies back about three feet in the air when the stumble out of the passageway. “Watch where you’re going once in a while, King.”

“What are you doing up here, weasel?” Shiro brushes past them both, grabbing Nianzol by the ankle and yanking him back down onto the ground. “You skulking around?”

“I felt the air and wanted to see where it was coming from.” Nianzol eyes the passage, then looks at Mugetsu. “Am I allowed to go up there, or it it special?”

Mugetsu waves him by. “You can go. We’re going to be changing the appearance soon.”

“Wonder what he’s been doing since he doesn’t hang around As all the time anymore,” Shiro mumbles before grabbing Mugetsu by the arm and dragging him. “Come on. I know where he is. I will lock you in the fucking room until you talk to him if that’s what I have to do.”

He expects to be taken to the study and feels his stomach twist a little when Shiro brings him to the bedroom instead. It isn’t quite neutral territory which is what he was hoping for, or territory where Sosuke would have the advantage on him. Just the same, Sosuke is indeed in the bedroom when Shiro drags them inside, and Tensa and Gin are with him. The three of them are sitting on the bed together, Gin’s arm around Sosuke’s shoulders while Tensa holds his hands. All of them look up when he and Shiro walk in.  _ Oh no. _

“Found him.” Shiro only lets go of Mugetsu once he’s dragged him right in front of Sosuke, looking for all the world like a hound who has brought its master something valuable.

Tensa’s face softens. “You didn’t have to go get him. I was just making a joke.”

“It’s more efficient this way.” Shiro holds a hand out to him. “Come on. They’ll need the privacy to talk about this, and we’re guaranteed to get in the way. You too, kitsune.”

Gin makes a face at him. “What makes you think I  _ want _ to leave him alone with Sosuke?”

“It’s a misunderstanding. I get that you’re protective of him, but you don’t gotta coddle him, and my brother isn’t what you think he is.” Shiro reaches out and snatches Gin’s kimono by the collar, giving it a sharp yank. “Now get up and get out of the room so they can talk. We can argue in the hallway if it’ll make you feel better.”

The three of them squabble so much on the way out of the room that, when the doors close, it is painfully quiet in the space left behind. Sosuke presses his face into his hands and shakes his head, and Mugetsu feels woefully unprepared for this situation.

Slowly, he lowers himself to a knee and touches a hand to Sosuke’s elbow until those soft brown eyes peer down at him through spread fingers. “I’m sorry about all of this.”

“It isn’t your fault we have some of the loudest and most argumentative people in our lives.” Sosuke sighs and folds his hands in his lap, and he looks so tired. “What did I do? Where did I go wrong? Everything was fine until we talked in the hallway.”

So he does feel as though Mugetsu has been ignoring him,  _ punishing _ him for saying something he shouldn’t have. The thought makes Mugetsu’s chest hurt. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just afraid to make a mistake that’s going to hurt you further.”

“You couldn’t hurt me. I know that.” Sosuke stretches out a hand and touches his face, and Mugetsu lets him. He leans into it and closes his eyes, savoring the intimacy and the warmth there in a way he never has with any other living being. “Do you want me as more than just your symbolic queen? Do you want me as a partner? As a mate?”

“I do. I want you as my everything.” Mugetsu forces his eyes open so he can see Sosuke’s reaction to his words. He needs to know what’s on Sosuke’s mind.

There are… Many emotions that flicker through those pretty eyes before Sosuke sighs softly and nods. The ones that stand out to him the most are, at the very least, positive. “I want to be with you. You treat me well. You take care of me and my son. I know you want me to wait, but… I’m never going to  _ know _ if I don’t at least try.”

“We don’t have to rush into things so quickly because Shiro and Tensa have chosen to. They’re young. Shiro has no experience. I doubt Tensa does, either,” Mugetsu says. He doesn’t say it, but he can’t imagine Yhwach taking kindly to anyone being around the boy.

Sosuke’s smile is sad. “How much experience do you think I have, then?”

That stings. Mugetsu knows what he means, though. He tilts his head and, keeping eye contact with Sosuke the best he can, presses a kiss to his palm. “I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you.” Sosuke’s thumb smoothes over his lower lip so gently. “Is it wrong for me to want to pursue something like Tensa does? I’m tired of feeling lonely. I’m tired of thinking there are broken pieces inside of me that I can’t put back together. I’d like, even just once, or just for a little while, to feel like someone could love me.”

Mugetsu wants to go back in time. He wants to find the space in between all of the lives of humanity where this man was sold as a child and prevent it from ever happening. To give him something,  _ anything, _ to make up for the horrible life he’s had to endure in this palace. To erase all the nights he probably silently cried himself to sleep, to make the pain go away. And he knows he can’t. Time travel is impossible. All Sosuke is asking him for is a chance to make things better  _ now, _ and Mugetsu wants to give him that chance.

Is there a point in making either of them wait longer when they both want this?

“Look at me, Sosuke.” Mugetsu cups his cheek and Sosuke does look at him, and there’s so much raw pain in his eyes. “I want you are you are. Your intellect, your wit, your sharp tongue. I want you to be yourself. I don’t want what you think is a proper demon mate, or what you think I must secretly want deep down. Or what  _ he _ wanted. I just want you as you are, just as Shiro wants Tensa as he is. Nothing more and nothing less than that.”

Sosuke’s lower lip wobbles, and Mugetsu feels his heart quiver at the sight. “What if you don’t like that? What if you see me for who I am and you don’t want me after that?”

“Of course I’ll want you. I’ll only ever want you for who you are.” Mugetsu wraps a hand around the back of his neck and squeezes gently. “I already love that part of you.”

“Then prove that.” Sosuke grabs his forearm and pulls, and Mugetsu lets himself lean forward. “Prove to me that you love me. Stop running away from me. Stop hiding. Stop pretending you don’t want to lie down next to me and hold me in your arms like you did that first night when you saved my life twice over. Prove to me that you need me.”

Mugetsu stands slowly, keeping his hand on the back of Sosuke’s neck. He hooks a finger beneath the chain of the necklace and gives it a small tug. “Take this off. It’s going to get between us and right now I don’t want anything to stand between you and me.”

Sosuke’s hands are trembling slightly as he takes the necklace off and sets it aside. His soft pink tongue darts out to moisten his lips. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to show you,” Mugetsu murmurs softly, “I need you, Aizen Sosuke.”

It’s easy to press Sosuke back onto the mattress, easier still to coax him up into the pillows before lying down next to him. The entire bed is lush and soft because Mugetsu wanted him to sink into it, to relax, to have all the starch and stress taken away from his muscles, but it’s not softer than Sosuke himself. Not as soft as his skin; Mugetsu cups his cheek and just glories in the way Sosuke closes his eyes and leans into the touch. Just as Mugetsu did. They’re both starved for this, so why did he deprive them further?

Sosuke has never known this tenderness or affection before. He deserves it, and Mugetsu wants to do nothing more than show him just how much he deserves it.

“I want you,” he whispers, and Sosuke shudders softly and presses further into his hand. “I want to kiss you right now. Is that all right, Sosuke?”

“Yes. Gods, yes.” Sosuke reaches for him, grabs a fistful of his shirt. “Please do.”

“Don’t ever beg me for anything.  _ Demand _ it.” And Mugetsu leans into kiss him  _ finally. _

Sosuke’s lips are soft beneath his own, tentatively parted and so warm. Mugetsu slips his hand around to cup the back of Sosuke’s head, urging him forward as he slowly moves their mouths together. He’s slow and careful and just a touch timid, afraid to do any harm to the beautiful human lying so close to him. All he wants to do is make Sosuke happy, to make him feel cherished and special and like there is no one else in the world like him. If he can’t undo all of the pain, he wants to soothe it and nurture Sosuke until he’s happy again.

So he takes his time. He listens to the way Sosuke sighs softly for him, the way he leans into him, starts kissing back. It’s cautious on both of their parts. They want it and yet both of them are afraid for different reasons, and Mugetsu could almost laugh. He’d have never thought a human had it in him to make him afraid of anything.

When he deepens the kiss, tongue brushing between Sosuke’s lips, it’s to taste a soft, small little moan. His blood burns at the sound.  _ Yes. _ He wants Sosuke to sound like that for him, to give himself up and let Mugetsu take care of him like he deserves.

And when he feels Sosuke’s tongue curl curiously against his, it takes all of his willpower to remain slow and careful. To give Sosuke time to adjust to him and to this.

“Very good,” he whispers, pulling away to let Sosuke breathe. His cheeks are flushed a high, high pink and when he opens his eyes, they’re soft and glazed. “You’re perfect.”

Sosuke laughs softly and shakes his head, and he presses a hand to Mugetsu’s cheek, drawing him closer. “Then why are you stopping? I never asked you to.”

Mugetsu pays attention to the way their bodies fit together, to the way Sosuke feels in his arms. He’s soft but strong beneath the softness, lean muscle that’s survived what he’s gone through. Broad shoulders and slim hips and long, toned legs. He’s taken care of himself despite Yhwach’s best efforts to destroy him and that makes Mugetsu want him even more. He wants to see what Sosuke could be,  _ who _ he could be, if he had everything in the world set in the palm of his hand. If he could thrive instead of survive.

He isn’t expecting the moment when he’s pushed down onto his back, Sosuke perched on top of him across his waist. It’s an exhilarating little moment to have Sosuke above him like this and he realizes belatedly that Sosuke has his wrists pinned beside his head.

When had he made this choice? Mugetsu wasn’t even paying attention to him.

“You’re off-balanced, demon king.” Sosuke’s voice is soft and teasing as he leans down, barely brushing his lips against Mugetsu’s own. “This is where I want you.”

“Then you can have me here,” Mugetsu murmurs, and Sosuke purrs against his mouth.

He lies perfectly still while Sosuke trails soft kisses along his jaw, his eyes slipping shut as he gives himself to the sensation. Though there have been others in hs life who have pursued him, none of them have ever caught his eye. None of them have ever been Sosuke. And so Mugetsu is, admittedly, unpracticed in such intimacy. He’s not a virgin but it’s never felt like this, someone being… Gentle and yet forceful with him.

No one has ever tried to take control in any way. They always wanted him to do that.

Sosuke’s kisses slip lower along the length of his throat and his breath catches there when he feels the slightest edge of teeth nudge into his skin, an almost-bite that excites him. It makes his skin hot, makes him want to do  _ something, _ pull Sosuke down against him and return that ardent passion with something just as forceful. But he doesn’t. He stays where he is and lets Sosuke’s kisses and gentle licks and nibbles trail down to the collar of his shirt, not sure if he should stop him. Perhaps this is  _ one _ thing they should wait for.

But Sosuke doesn’t continue lower. Instead, he leans up and looks down at him, hair loose and curling around his head. “Was that fine? You seemed awfully receptive.”

“Yes.” Mugetsu flexes his fingers, and Sosuke lets go of his wrists. “You’re free to do that any time you wish. I have no problem being beneath you. In fact, I enjoy it.”

“Oh.” Sosuke nods a little, though he looks slightly shy now. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Mugetsu sits up slowly, not displacing Sosuke’s place in his lap, and catches him by the chin so he can kiss him again. And Sosuke moans sweetly against his mouth once more.

It’s easy to kiss him. He’s sweet and soft and Mugetsu feels like he could sink into him, feels like Sosuke  _ wants _ him to. Instead, he rubs a hand up and down his back, fingers tracing along the length of his spine and urging him closer until the two of them are pressed together so tightly there is no space between them, not even to breathe.

“We should, admittedly, let the others know things are fine now,” Sosuke whispers, and Mugetsu hums thoughtfully before nuzzling into Sosuke’s throat. “So they’re not worried.”

“Your fox will worry no matter what.” He nips a patch of soft pale skin and smiles when Sosuke gasps for him, soothing the spot with his tongue until Sosuke squirms.

Sosuke’s fingers lace together in his hair and tug him back, and Mugetsu looks up at him patiently. “I know that, but just the same. Tensa and Shiro have been worried about the two of us, and I would like to calm them down if possible. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“It would be.” Mugetsu knows he owes Shiro for this, and he doesn’t want to upset Tensa. The poor boy has been through enough in his short life. “You’re happy with this choice?”

“Yes. Of course. This is the one I want to make.” Sosuke kisses him on the forehead, and Mugetsu pointedly ignores how fast his stomach flips at the softness of it. “ _ Anata, _ let’s go and tell the others, shall we? I think they’ll be very happy about this.”

He doesn’t want to let Sosuke slip from his lap but he does just the same, slipping an arm around his waist as he guides him toward the door. He looks… Disheveled, his hair a bit of a mess and his lips swollen and his cheeks still pink. Everyone is going to know what the two of them were doing in here and probably draw terribly obscene conclusions from it, but Mugetsu doesn’t mind. Those things will be true before long, he thinks.

Then he stops and turns back to the bed, picking the necklace off of the foot of it. “Don’t forget this. I was serious when I said I wanted you to wear it as much as possible.”

“I only take it off when I sleep considering you and Gin keep me safe.” Sosuke gathers all of his hair in one hand. “Please place it back around my neck, husband.”

The word almost catches him off-guard, but Mugetsu merely slips the chain over Sosuke’s head once more, fingers brushing over the orb to make sure it is in place between his collarbones. Then he kisses Sosuke behind the ear and nudges him forward.

The others are not far away from the bedroom, which is not a surprise in the least. Rather, they’re in the study together, and Tensa sits up behind the desk as soon as they walk in together. His eyes are critical and sharp for just a moment— he’s so intelligent— and then his face softens into a lovely smile, his hands coming together.

“I  _ told _ you,” Shiro says immediately, and Mugetsu sighs softly. “Wasn’t that easy?”

“Admittedly, it was easier than the imperfect path I was taking. I have to thank you, little brother, for showing me the way.” Mugetsu ignores the way Shiro gapes at him and approaches the desk, leaning across it to take Tensa’s hands in his. His fingers are small and soft and warm. “And I apologize to you, too, Tensa. For upsetting your father and for upsetting you as a result. I never wanted to do something like that.”

Tensa smiles softly up at him and nods, then ducks his head. “Of course. I understand. It isn’t always easy when it comes down to romantic feelings.”

“And you, kitsune.” Mugetsu walks over to where Gin is lounging in a chair and drops a hand on top of his head, rubbing gently at the space between his ears. Gin  _ luxuriates _ in it, keening softly. “Sosuke is beloved to you, so I must also apologize for upsetting you.”

Gin sighs up at him, catching him by the wrist and directing his hand into a more favorable position. “I guess it’s all right since I haven’t seen Sosuke smile like that in a while.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t stop smiling any time soon.” Mugetsu lets Gin have another few gentle caresses before he moves back to take Sosuke around the waist, laying another light kiss on his lips. “I’ll keep him smiling for as long as I draw breath.”

“And nothing can kill you, so that’s going to likely be forever,” Sosuke muses.

Mugetsu pulls Sosuke into his arms and just holds him, a soft noise of approval leaving the back of his throat when Sosuke’s arms slip around his waist and embrace him in return. He has the perfect view to watch Shiro walk across the room to Tensa, pulling the boy into his arms and nuzzling at the side of his neck. It’s sweet to watch Tensa giggle and squirm in his arms before turning to give him a kiss, a moment that seems to last forever.

Shiro has never wanted a partner before. He’s always spurned the idea of needing to settle down. But now, he wraps a hand in Tensa’s hair and draws him closer. Kisses him like he’s dying for it, like Tensa is the only thing keeping him alive. But he’s soft in the way he holds him, his muscles all relaxed. And Tensa is just as gentle in return, slipping his fingers into Shiro’s hair, tilting his face so their mouths meet seamlessly.

Gin sighs and pushes himself to his feet. “All this lovey dovey nonsense and  _ I’m _ the one still alone. It should be a crime. I guess I’ll have to go and pursue someone now.”

Sosuke turns to look at him, sparing a momentary glance at where Shiro is insistently kissing Tensa’s neck. If he minds it, he says nothing. It’s possible he just wants to make sure his son is happy. “Is there someone you have in mind? I’d thought you didn’t.”

“Perhaps there is, perhaps there isn’t. Perhaps I just haven’t told you yet, my love.” Gin is at Sosuke’s side in an instant, pressing a hard kiss to his cheek before poking Mugetsu in the chest. “Take care of my love or I’ll make you pay for all that you do to him.”

“It would be my honor to take care of Sosuke,” Mugetu reassures him.

“I might just believe that out of you, demon king.” Gin flashes him a smile and then is gone just like that, the door clicking shut quietly behind them. His speed is truly inhuman.

Sosuke looks up at him. “My apologies. He’s always been rather… Eccentric, you know.”

“I’ve seen as much in the short time I’ve interacted with him.” Mugetsu kisses Sosuke on the forehead then clears his throat loudly to get Shiro’s attention. His brother doesn’t even have the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “We have announcements to make, then. We can do so tonight at dinner. There’s no reason for the others not to know yet.”

Shiro nods, straightening up and pulling Tensa up against him. “I agree. Might as well know what belongs to us so they can stop getting ideas in their heads about things.”

“No one has had a single idea in their head in terms of these two and you know that.” Mugetsu pets a hand down Sosuke’s back, not wanting him to be unnerved by Shiro’s words. His brother is just an idiot who speaks without thinking. “But I want it to be official. Our people have done just fine respecting them at my command, but this is more than that.”

“Yeah, it is.” Shiro grins at him. They both know just how important this is for them.

None of Mugetsu’s men would have truly believed him one to settle down. He doesn’t think any of them expected him to truly take Sosuke as his mate no matter what he said his intentions were. At least, not in a tangible way. Not in a true way.

They’ll eat their words and their thoughts. Aizen Sosuke was  _ meant _ to be his queen.

“An official coronation once more,” Sosuke muses. “I can’t say I’ve not been through something like this before, but at least it’s my choice this time.”

Mugetsu nods, and draws him close once more, gratified when Sosuke leans into him. “And it will always be your choice. I’ll kill anyone who tries to take that away from you.”

Shiro flashes a fanged smile at him from across the room, and Mugetsu nods once. Whatever it takes, the two of them will protect their mates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope 12 chapters was enough slow burn because i actually was like "oh shit i can't wait anymore i gotta make them kiss"


	13. Chapter 13

Sosuke was sixteen years old when he was carted from his family’s home to Yhwach’s palace and wed to him on the same day. Though it was years ago, he remembers it with a sharpness he knows is distinctly attached to some traumatic memories. He remembers twisting and twisting a handkerchief in his hand the entire trip while Gin held him by the arm and tried to reassure him, and he remembers quickly brushing the tears away when he saw the palace for the first time and made peace with what his fate would become.

Even at such a young age— an age younger than his son is now— he knew Yhwach’s name.

He remembers standing before his kingdom with his palms quivering and his heart in his throat while the bastard announced to everyone who stood beneath him that Sosuke was his queen. How many times did he have to stop himself from breaking down into tears then, desperate to escape the room and hide somewhere dark and safe?

Two days after Mugetsu kisses him for the first time, Gin braids the Hell’s Kiss blossoms into his hair, ignoring Sosuke when he says it isn’t appropriate. “I’ll be damned if it isn’t. These flowers are blooming because of him, and  _ he _ bloomed because of  _ you. _ ”

“That’s an awful way to put it,” Sosuke protests, but Gin just hushes him and returns to his work. His long fingers make quick work of the blossoms, winding them into Sosuke’s hair where he’s already braided it back from his face in an elegant design.

“You look so pretty, Sosuke. You look so  _ happy. _ ” Gin kisses him on the temple and Sosuke smiles softly. “Smiling so much now, I can’t say I’ve ever hated the way you glow when you smile like this. Nice to see things are finally working out the way they always should have.”

Sighing softly, Sosuke brushes his fingers at the corners of his eyelids. He is  _ not _ going to cry before the coronation, not like this. “Honestly, I… I know it’s soon, but he—”

“Do ya think anyone cares? None of us were begging you to take your time in making a decision when you wanted it so bad and deserved it so much. Some things just are.” Gin wraps an arm around his shoulders and squeezes gently, and Sosuke sniffles just a touch at the sentiment. “Just like our friendship. He cares about you a great deal, the demon king.”

“I know. He’s been nothing but careful of me since he came here.” Even on the first night they met, Mugetsu showed him nothing but tenderness, and he hadn’t known then.

He still faintly recalls the heavy weight of Mugetsu’s cloak around his shoulders, chasing the chill of the night away, or the gentle way he touched Sosuke’s hands when he wanted to see if the scars were there. The way he held him after saving him a second time. Mugetsu has been good to him in ways that Yhwach never could have conceptualized because Sosuke was always an object to him, nothing more and nothing less.

Gin hums and tucks the last flower into place; they flow with the design of Sosuke’s hair, and they look beautiful paired with the deep jewel violet robes he’d donned for the coronation itself. “He better be treating you better than he’s ever treated anyone ‘cause you deserve that care. And I think his little brother would skin him if he didn’t.”

“At least Shiro has been taking care of Tensa. That’s all I’m really concerned about.” The two of them have been inseparable, and he thinks Shiro’s personality might have found some softer edges when it comes to Tensa’s optimistic view of the world.

“Well, that’s what makes our friendship so great. You worry about the baby and I worry about you.” Gin stands back, resting his hands on Sosuke’s shoulders. “And you look beautiful for a coronation. Ah, don’t forget that special necklace of yours. It matches.”

“It does.” Sosuke retrieves it from where it sets on the dresser. The orb makes it difficult to wear to bed, and he and Mugetsu experienced just how much it dug into the flesh when he’d pressed up against Sosuke unexpectedly and caught it between them.

When he stands, Gin pulls him into his arms and kisses him on the forehead. “Ya look like a proper queen and I’m happy to know you’re gonna get the respect you deserve.”

“And I’ll always have you here to make sure I do,” Sosuke murmurs, and Gin beams.

Tensa and Shiro are waiting for them just outside of the door, and Tensa’s bright smile takes Sosuke’s breath away. He hadn’t seen his son smile like this in years. “You look so nice, Father.” He immediately steps into Sosuke’s arms, burrowing in against him.

Of course, Tensa always looks gorgeous, the midnight blue of his robes only bringing out the pale brightness of his eyes that much more. He takes care of himself, his hair glossy and shining where the sunlight spilling in through the windows catches it, combed and brushed smooth. Shiro remains leaning casually against the wall until Tensa is free and then steps up to rest a hand in the small of his back. In sharp contrast, his own clothing is blood red. It reminds Sosuke of Mugetsu’s eyes.

“You do look pretty, queen,” he says, and he sounds like he means it. And the way Tensa settles back so easily against him says a lot about how comfortable he is with him, and Sosuke is glad. He used to fear that growing up seeing how he and Yhwach were would either draw Tensa to someone who would hurt him or make him afraid of a partner at all. “Mugetsu’s not going to know what hit him when he sees you. You ready for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Being a proper queen, maybe not. But being your brother’s queen? That seems much simpler.” Sosuke smiles at the thought, and Shiro laughs and nods.

“Fair.” Shiro tilts his head toward the hallway. “Let’s head down to the throne room, then.”

Gin wraps an arm around his waist and guides him, and Sosuke remembers all too well the first coronation ceremony of his life. He was too young to understand how much it meant then, and too afraid of the man he was supposed to call his husband. Now, though, it feels natural. These walls belong to him, and this palace is his home. His sanctuary.

Mugetsu’s men make up most of the population of the room with the necessary additions of humans as well, and all of them fall quiet when the doors open and Sosuke steps into the room. Though he stands quickly, Sosuke has a passing image of Mugetsu on the throne, and he looks like he belongs here properly. No one else should rule this place.

“Sosuke.” Mugetsu meets him halfway across the room, taking both of Sosuke’s hands in his own and squeezing them gently. He’s as handsome as ever, his hair long and wild and loose as it should be, and his eyes burn. “You look especially lovely today.”

“I wanted to look my best for you.” Sosuke smiles and Mugetsu laughs softly, cupping his jaw and pressing a sweet, brief kiss to his lips. It spreads tingles through his entire body.

The way Mugetsu smiles down at him makes his chest warm. “You always look your best to me. Come. It’s time all of my people learned just how much you mean to me.”

When he was first brought into this throne room, he was young and terrified and on the verge of breaking down and begging to go back home. Now, he leans into Mugetsu’s side and slips an arm around his waist, and Mugetsu smiles softly as he pulls Sosuke closer to him, arm around his shoulders. This feels right. Everything about standing next to him and walking close to him feels natural and easy. Would it have felt this way with Yhwach if the man cared about him, or would it always have frightened him to be in such a living hell?

He does not have the answer to that question, but he knows he is no longer afraid.

They stand on the dais together and Mugetsu keeps him close, his hand secure over the roundest part of Sosuke’s shoulder. “Most of you have known me for centuries and have known me not to be interested in taking a mate of my own,” he says, projecting his voice.

There are whispers around the room; Sosuke can see a lascivious little smile on Grimmjow’s face, though the cat-like demon says nothing. It’s clear to him that what Mugetsu said is true, and all of them are having quite the time watching him genuinely fall for someone.

“I was under the impression I had no need to take a mate. I was satisfied with fighting and with leading all of you, and I was content to do as Lady Halibel wished me to do.” Mugetsu squeezes his shoulder and Sosuke smiles faintly when he remembers the demon queen who made sure that Mugetsu understood he was to treat Sosuke and Tensa with kindness. To protect them. Maybe she knew what they know now… “Aizen Sosuke has changed my mind.”

Sosuke lays his head on Mugetsu’s shoulder, pressing his fingers into the shape of his waist. He didn’t think he could be loved until Mugetsu came and changed his mind. He would have been content with nothing but peace for himself and Tensa and Gin until Mugetsu gave him something he could want just as much, something just for himself.

He watches Shiro rest his chin on Tensa’s shoulder and watches Tensa lean back into his embrace, hands coming to rest on the arms wrapped around his middle. They make a handsome couple and Sosuke is glad his son will be safe with someone who loves him.

“This man has taught me things I did not learn on the battlefield. That there is strength in even the worst tragedy. That you can come out of the worst pain possible not unscathed, but still able to fight for another day.” Mugetsu looks down at him and Sosuke meets his eyes, overwhelmed by the words. He’s saying all of this in front of his men? Who are battle-hardened soldiers who only just  _ now _ chose to settle down? “What true sacrifice is. What one is willing to go through to protect someone innocent that he loves so much.”

“You’re saying too much,” Sosuke chastises him, but Mugetsu only shakes his head.

And then he takes a knee on the dais, cupping Sosuke’s hands in his own and squeezing them gently. “There is never too much I can say. You are my heart and my queen, and I will do my best to serve and protect you because that is the minimum you deserve.”

Sosuke frees one of his hands to cup Mugetsu’s cheek, fingers chasing along the line of his cheekbone down to his jaw. “You are my king and my heart and I will do the same.”

Mugetsu takes Sosuke’s remaining hand and kisses it, and the hall erupts into loud and ridiculous cheers that have Sosuke’s cheeks flushing hot. It’s  _ obscene, _ the way all of them are acting, but Mugetsu only smiles up at him and leans forward, pressing his nose against Sosuke’s belly, arms catching him around the waist and squeezing tight. And he remembers what Mugetsu told him about demon wedding ceremonies and takes a deep breath.

_ There is no better time to live than in the present. Show them you can be their queen. _

With this, Sosuke allows himself to kneel in the circle of Mugetsu’s arms, hands cupping his face so he can insistently press a kiss to his lips. Mugetsu has a nice mouth, something he’s noticed, and he responds so eagerly, pulling Sosuke flush against him while they kiss. The cheering in the room rises a few decibels but Sosuke is not paying as much attention to it as he is the man in front of him, wrapping his hands in Mugetsu’s hair.

“Aren’t you lively today?” Mugetsu smiles against his lips and Sosuke inhales shakily.

Then he leans forward and bites down ever-so-gently on Mugetsu’s lower lip.

“You told me you wanted me to be myself, did you not?” He plants a hand on Mugetsu’s shoulder and pushes him back down onto the floor. And Mugetsu could resist but he doesn’t, letting his back hit the marble flooring. “You’re going to get just that.”

Mugetsu smiles up at him and catches him around the waist, pulling Sosuke on top of him, hands resting on his hips. “By all means. Show my men that I am beneath you.”

When they kiss this time, it’s with Sosuke on top of him, weighing him down and keeping him pinned to the floor. He can feel the heat beneath Mugetsu’s skin, the living fire that seems to reside at his core and shows up bright and visible in his eyes. And he can feel it in their kiss, a flame that slowly sinks into his skin and bones and muscles, melting away the coldness built there by years of living with a man who would have punished him for this.

“Very good, Sosuke.” Mugetsu cups his cheek and he leans into it without another thought until he sees Mugetsu’s eyes widen just slightly. “That vine-work in your hair is impressive.”

“Vine work? There is none. They’re just flower stems.” Sosuke reaches up just the same, his hand pausing when he feels a small loose tendril curling just behind his temple.

Slowly, Mugetsu plucks at it and shows it to him; a loose piece of what looks like a root. “I think that it is. Your fox knows how to weave so many mystical tricks, doesn’t he?”

“Gin didn’t do this. He would have told me if he was planning to do something like this. He’d never do anything to or around my body without my consent.” Sosuke sits up slowly and Mugetsu moves with him, his face concerned. “Why is this happening? I don’t understand.”

“I’ll send Ulquiorra to speak to Halibel about it. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Mugetsu confesses. When the cheering in the room starts to die down, they stop talking about it.

Shiro joins them on the dais, his arms still firmly wrapped around Tensa. “Okay, King, you know the drill. You all gotta sit down while everyone swears loyalty or whatever the hell. Do I  _ technically _ have to swear loyalty to you? I feel like that’s just an assumption.”

“You can swear loyalty to Tensa and we’ll call it even,” Mugetsu says firmly.

They arrange themselves on the throne and Gin comes to sit on the arm of Sosuke’s own, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. He leans in until his lips are almost touching Sosuke’s ear. “The flowers are growing in your hair now, my love. I know Mugetsu assumes that it must not be because of him, but it wouldn’t be the first time a child was stolen away and sent to a home he did not belong in. We should talk to him about that later.”

“You think he might have been taken from his parents when he was an infant?” Sosuke asks, scandalized. The thought of Mugetsu being taken when he was so vulnerable…

“Perhaps not. Perhaps older, because I have ever reason to believe he and Shiro are brothers. They do look alike.” Gin shrugs and brushes his fingers through Sosuke’s hair, plucking another few bits of roots out as he goes. “But this is indicative of a royal demon, and there are none here unless there is someone in the court lying to us.”

That is a thought. Sosuke is not sure if it is particularly unsavory or not.

They sit while each of Mugetsu’s men swears loyalty to them as a whole, and Sosuke wonders if anyone of them are hiding something from him. How long as Mugetsu known each of his men, and what reason would any of them have to lie? If royals are treated unfairly or forced into positions they do not want, Sosuke has heard none of them mention it. Rather, it seems like they aren’t really expected to do much of anything if even more common demons like Mugetsu are able to rule kingdoms.

Which begs the question. Is Mugetsu truly a royal demon after all?

Would he remember being taken, and how much younger is Shiro than him? If their ages are close together, they could both have been taken as young children without having any memory of such an event, but what would the purpose of it be? And would their true family, biologically stronger and more talented with magic, not be able to find them?

There is so much to think about and he feels like this knowledge is somehow forbidden.

“Ulquiorra.” Mugetsu waves for the winged demon to come stand in front of them, and Ulquiorra does so without question. It seems so odd to him now that this was the man he ran away from, certain this demon came to kill him. “I need you to go visit Halibel and ask her for any information she has about the Hell’s Kiss flowers. They have always bloomed in her presence and I presume that means she must know them very well.”

Slowly, Ulquiorra nods. “Very well. Is there anything else you need me to tell her?”

“Tell her that she was right. Aizen Sosuke is my queen and I’ll be taking him formally as my husband in marriage soon.” Mugetsu smiles softly, and Sosuke looks at him, at the handsome sharp lines of his profile, and remembers that night once more. She asked him outright, after all. “The prince and the queen are safe and healthy and happy. All traces of loyalty to Yhwach have been destroyed. Everything is going perfectly fine.”

“Very well. I’ll be back within about four days.” Ulquiorra tilts his head and pins Grimmjow beneath his gaze, and the cat-like demon grins at him. “Behave while I am gone.”

“I’ll consider it,” Grimmjow says, and Ulquiorra huffs at him as he leaves the hall.

“My queen.” The question comes from the rose-haired and bespectacled scientist— Szayel, Sosuke remembers. He steps in front of them and immediately bows his head. “Forgive me for asking, but may I take a sample of the flowers in your hair?”

So someone else has noticed the odd change. “Of course. I don’t see why not.”

“Here.” Gin’s hand is quick. He plucks one of the flowers free and offers it to Szayel, who takes it with a smile. “Let us know if you find out anything interesting from it.”

“Does he know much about the flowers?” Sosuke asks, glancing at Mugetsu.

In answer, Mugetsu shrugs a shoulder. “He’s been studying the ones that are growing in the garden and, inexplicably, up the garden-facing wall of the palace. If they crop up somewhere, he usually plucks a flower to examine it. He’s trying to figure out why they’re growing and where they came from just like we are. Just… Without much luck.”

“Is it really entirely impossible it’s because you’ve become king?” Tensa asks uncertainly.

“Royalty to our kind isn’t really so much as a title as it is just… That’s how you were born. It’s about lineage and power and magic use more than anything else, and you can’t really change your bloodline even if you attempt to hide it.” Mugetsu stretches out a hand and pats Tensa gently on the shoulder. “But no worries. They have never been a sign of any negative force, just a visual representation of the lineage of our kind.”

Shiro, sat on the floor near Tensa’s feet, leans against his leg, head lolling against his knee. “The reason we care is ‘cause none of us are royal lineage, so we just wanna know why.”

Tensa looks conflicted before clearing his throat and straightening his shoulders, looking Mugetsu squarely in the eyes. He’s determined. “Are you sure one of your men isn’t just lying to you about their lineage and the flowers are growing here because of them?”

“Ah, that’d be good,” Shiro muses, “because back home, the flowers grew for Halibel, so we’d never have known if it was someone else. But we genuinely know all of ours that we brought with us. I don’t think any of them could have hidden it worth shit.”

Mugetsu rolls his eyes. “Inelegant as always, but the truth remains. We would have noticed. The finesse and natural power is incomparable, and I could not imagine one of my own walking stooped through this world just to hide something none of us would have judged them for anyway. I fought alongside Halibel, after all. There is no shame in it.”

Sosuke rests his hand on top of Mugetsu’s own. “Perhaps someone stolen away at birth?”

Laughing, Mugetsu shakes his head. He turns his hand over and squeezes Sosuke’s fingers gently, twining them with his own. “Well, that would be a dramatic turn of play, wouldn’t it? I suppose it’s a fair guess, just as any other would be. Most of us don’t really remember our childhoods when we were very small, so… That is something to look into perhaps.”

In the interest of privacy, Sosuke lifts Mugetsu’s hand to his mouth and kisses it and says nothing. If he wants to ask, he’s going to do it in the closed walls of their bedroom.

“King.” The voice belongs to someone Sosuke knows fairly well; Nianzol Weizol was one of the two spies sent to infiltrate the military that Yhwach kept with the goal of finding a way to defeat him, and Sosuke believed him to be mute. Everyone did. He spoke through sign language and nothing more to hide the two tongues behind his teeth. “I needed to talk to you about the tower. There’s something of great importance hiding up there.”

Mugetsu frowns at him and straightens up in his seat. “Is it something dangerous?”

“I’m uncertain to be honest. It’s very peculiar and I’ve only ever seen it once before, so I think we should go look at it.” Nianzol’s golden eyes slide to Sosuke, and his smile thins.

The message is clear.  _ They _ should go look at it without Sosuke being present.

“Is it dangerous to the queen specifically?” Mugetsu asks, and Nianzol sighs.

He tips his head back and gives it a tiny shake. “I don’t particularly believe it can harm the queen, but I could also be wrong. I would prefer that we examine it together and then decide separately so the queen is not endangered in the process. Is this fine?”

Sosuke glances between the two of them, his brows furrowing. Why won’t Nianzol simply say what it is about the tower he thinks is dangerous? And what tower is he referring to? Sosuke was kept out of them because his place was primarily in the bedroom and at Yhwach’s side, but… Surely there could not be anything truly dangerous looking up there, not more than a human man can manage surely. And Sosuke himself is human as well.

Unless this is a secret they want to keep from him? Surely nothing of the sort…

“That is fine with me,” Mugetsu says. “If it is not dangerous, then I’ll escort you up to show you what we find, Sosuke. Your safety to be is of primary importance in this matter.”

Frowning, Sosuke shakes his head. “I’m afraid I don’t understand what it is that could cause me such harm that all of you are cautious of my going into the tower before you can decide the danger level. If Yhwach could manage whatever is up there without any harm coming to his person, then surely I would be able to do the same?”

“It isn’t anything like that,” Nianzol says, and he sounds apologetic. “It’s a very sensitive matter for our kind. We’ll be able to explain it to you in greater detail once we figure out if that’s exactly what it is. It’s been so long, and the King is better trained to see it.”

Sosuke is at a loss. “Yhwach had no dealings with demons, so how could it possibly—”

Nianzol interrupts, his voice gentle. “If you would prefer to see for yourself, queen, you should be able to do so after we check it. But Yhwach never stepped into that room.”

“It’s the room at the top of the highest tower, isn’t it?” Mugetsu asks, and Nianzol nods. The men, Sosuke notices, are now milling around together, some of them leaving; none of them are listening in. Maybe that’s on purpose. “I noticed nothing about the room when I entered in, but you’ve found something. What did you find up there?”

“Rainbow glass embedded in the walls. I suppose the windows themselves were smashed out.” Nianzol shrugs a shoulder, and Sosuke frowns hard.  _ The highest tower? _

_ “If you ever go up that stairwell, I will find out. Rest assured.” Yhwach’s face hovers centimeters away from his own, and Sosuke cowers back against the wall instinctively. “If you want to meander around the palace, you had better remember where you ought not to go or you will pay dearly for it. Do I make myself clear?” _

“I wondered why they would have a windowless open room such as that,” Mugetsu murmurs.

“It’d rain and snow in and you’d have fungus and rot growing on everything,” Shiro says, turning around to look at his big brother properly. “What do you think it was?”

Sighing, Nianzol… Slips off of his feet and floats in the air, and Sosuke stares at him. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen a talent quite like this before, but Nianzol merely twists around so he’s lying on his back, head hanging back and upside down. “It was charged, Mugetsu, but not to contain one of our kind. You likely know what that means.”

“I understand completely.” Mugetsu turns to look at Sosuke, cups his cheek gently. “The room may have been enchanted to house a human prisoner is what Nianzol is saying. He doesn’t want you to enter the space until we can tell if it’s dangerous for you or not.”

“Why would it matter what kind of glass it is?” Sosuke is at a loss. He hardly remembers the tower itself other than being told not to go up the stairwell to it, and he never spent much time outside of the palace because what would he do out there?

Gin makes a funny sound in the back of his throat, and Sosuke looks at him. “If it’s special glass, Sosuke, it ain’t made the way any other kind is. It’s made to be magical.”

“I wondered to myself how Yhwach could have created something like this,” Mugetsu brushes a finger over the orb at Sosuke’s throat, “or have a charged metal cage to imprison a kitsune all without noticing that two of my men were spies. If he had any magical leaning, it would have been instantly obvious to him. And yet it was not.”

“I’m not following.” Sosuke feels foolish. Everyone seems to understand but him.

As if sensing his distress, Mugetsu’s hand strokes down the side of his face. “You wouldn’t need an enchanted room to house a human prisoner unless they had magic of their own. I need to check the room to ensure it is no longer dangerous, and then we must investigate.”

“We probably killed anyone who knew about it because I bet they were in allegiance with Yhwach,” Shiro says, scowling hard as he scrubs his cheek against Tensa’s knee.

Sosuke clears his throat. “What kind of charm did you sense in the glass, Nianzol?”

“Something permanent,” Nianzol says immediately. “I don’t know how it was broken.”

_ Permanent imprisonment.  _ The thought sends a cold shockwave through Sosuke’s body and he shudders, embracing himself as the sinks back against the throne. Would Yhwach have stooped to such a level if he continued to defy him? He could have. He kept Sosuke out of half of the palace and away from the one outdoors area he wanted to visit regularly, and he punished him for anything he saw fit. Why wouldn’t he do such an awful thing?

Mugetsu is faster and stronger than he has any right to be; his arms are around Sosuke in an instant, picking him up out of his chair and pulling him into his lap, against the warmth of his chest. “There, my love. He’s dead. He couldn’t put you there even if he wanted to.”

“No,” Tensa says, and his voice has the faintest tremor to it. “He’d… That’s so awful—”

Nianzol clears his throat quickly and harshly. “No, queen, I don’t think he’d have done that to you. Not in a thousand years. That room held a very special prisoner, someone who was magically inclined. A human mage of some sort, likely. They’re rare, but… I can’t think of anyone else. You wouldn’t go to that effort unless you had to, not for this.”

Gin stretches his arms over his head and huffs. “I hate this bastard. Causing problems even when he’s dead. Who would he have gotten to do such a thing in the first place? To imprison someone, you’d need the room charmed in the first place. How could he have—”

“That’s why I want to find out who was being kept up there,” Nianzol says softly, tilting to look at him. “I have a feeling that whoever he locked up there likely enchanted the room with someone else in mind. And I want to know why he kept them there in the first place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh shit. what is that.
> 
> leave your theories about the flowers/what's up in with the tower in the comments yo. i promise i'll respond to them all, it just takes me an inordinate amount of time because brain hurty.


	14. Chapter 14

When Tensa attempts to follow his father upstairs with Mugetsu and Gin, Shiro catches him by the wrist and tugs him back with a small shake of the bed. He wants to argue the point; whatever is up there should not be able to hurt him if it cannot hurt his father, but there is something in the way Shiro’s eyes skitter upward toward the ceiling that has him hesitating before letting Shiro tug him closer. So much of this is new to him, and he has so many questions. Since when was  _ he _ ever interested in any kind of magic?

_“Let me make this perfectly clear.”_ _The hand that grips his chin squeezes tighter than it ever has before, and Tensa just barely swallows back a whimper. Father is watching; he doesn’t want to scare him. “If I ever catch you looking at one of these books again, it’ll be the last thing you_ ever _look at. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”_

_ Tensa’s hands are trembling. The book in question— one just barely glancing over the history of magic in the human race— crackles in the fireplace, pages curling as they blacken and smoke. “Yes. I’m sorry. I understand. I won’t do it again.” _

_ The hand drops, then roughly pats him on the head, sending him stumbling toward his father. “Good boy. At least one of the two of you knows how to listen.” _

The memory makes his stomach churn, and he shudders all the way through as he steps away from Shiro. He just needs a moment. “Why are they so worried about that tower?”

“Unless you missed most of the conversation, little prince, your father was keeping someone imprisoned up there. Not exactly a nice thing, is it?” Shiro’s expression is wary, as if trying to detect just what has given Tensa the shivers just now.

How could he ever explain it to him? Even with Yhwach dead, the man’s existence still haunts his memories, and the flashbacks to his childhood are inescapable when they seem to be brought up by every single thing that has happened. The bastard has no desire to stay dead and Tensa wonders if it was possible to kill him at all.

He rubs a hand up his own arm, trying to rub some of the warmth back into his limbs. “I don’t think you understand. We weren’t allowed to discuss magic or read about it without being punished. I… I was threatened with  _ blindness _ for reading about the history—”

“What?” The sudden, quick snap of Shiro’s voice has Tensa jumping, his heart leaping up into his throat as he instinctively flinches away from the raised voice. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I just… I’m sorry. Please don’t be afraid of me.”

The stark contrast between his attitude now and the way he holds his hands out, palms up, in comparison to the bestial man that Tensa met on the night Yhwach died is striking. Maybe it was a facade then; he could believe that. Even Mugetsu seemed colder, removed, and more frightening before he showed his true colors. It was a battle, after all.

_ And we were their enemies. _ The thought reminds him of what he only heard after the fact, what his father was told directly by Mugetsu himself. They had orders not to harm him or his father, but he wonders if they might have done it without those orders.

_ Shiro isn’t going to hurt me. I need to stop thinking like that. _ He’d been conditioned all of his life to believe demons are violent, brutal monsters incapable of any positive, human emotions. They lived for battle and bloodlust. And yet living with them in the palace, he is safer than he was growing up surrounded by nothing but humans. That is frightening.

“I’m not afraid of you. I just… Don’t like loud voices.” Tensa lays his hands gently on top of Shiro’s own, and Shiro pulls him closer, bumping their foreheads together gently.

“Every time you tell me something new that he’s done to you, or that he said he’d do, I just want to take it out on him.” Shiro tilts his head slightly until his lips, rough but warm, press a kiss to Tensa’s forward. “No child deserves to live in fear like that.”

Tensa shifts so he can rest his head on Shiro’s shoulder, smiling faintly when one arm slips around his waist to draw him closer in a half-embrace. “Perhaps I should stop telling you about it, then. It doesn’t do me any good to recount such awful things anyway.”

“No. I’d rather know, even if you don’t have anything good to say about your childhood.” Shiro catches him by the chin and pushes him back a little, forcing Tensa to look into his eyes. His expression is solemn. “You’re made up of all of your experiences, good or bad. And I don’t get to ignore the bad ones. They’re a part of you, too.”

A soft hiccup catches in Tensa’s throat but he swallows it back down and nods, and Shiro embraces him properly this time, hands smoothing up and down his back in slow, gentle strokes. It makes him feel safe to be here; Shiro protected him when it counter and is doing his best to do so now, and that means something. It means so much to Tensa, who has never had anyone other than one parent look out for him while the other threatened him and scared him. He wishes he could have grown up with two fathers who loved him.

He blinks back tears and swallows hard.  _ Stop it. You’re just going to hurt yourself more. _

“I don’t really want to stand around in this room,” Shiro finally says, and Tensa smiles faintly at the words and nods. He can understand the sentiment. “You want to go somewhere and sit down? I can tell you as much as I can about the situation then, or at least whatever I was able to figure out from how fucking  _ cryptic _ Nianzol is.”

Tensa frowns at him. “I noticed that. Why is he like that? He should have been honest.”

“He’s a freak,” Shiro says, and Tensa frowns at him. “Pick where you want to sit and talk.”

Right. Tensa takes him by the hand and Shiro follows behind him without complaint, which might make Tensa’s heart flutter just a little as he leads him out of the throne room. They have plenty of options but there is only one location in the entire palace that no one would dare enter without his permission, including his father: his bedroom. He locks the doors behind them for added reassurance, something he only does at night now. Even with Shiro sleeping in the chair not far from the door, he is always afraid someone will come after him to hurt him. And he doesn’t want to risk not waking up now, when his life is better.

Like the rest of the palace, his room is no longer the same as it was. The walls are done in a gradient of blue flecked with bits of silver so that it looks like from the ceiling to the floor, one is sinking steadily into the ocean. Likewise, his bedding reflects it, and he settles himself on top of the comforter, safe and assured here with Shiro.

He watches as Shiro walks toward the balcony, pushing open the doors for a moment. “Have these flowers been growing on your balcony since they started climbing the walls?”

“Before. I brought some of them over from Father’s room to see if they’d stick or not.” Tensa shrugs, and Shiro only nods, a distant expression on his face as he closes the balcony doors. “What are the flowers? Why is there so much mystery surrounding them?”

“You heard my brother say what they are. They’re Hell’s Kiss. They’re a flower that only grows in the same place demon royalty already lives. And there’s no one here who is.” Shiro sits down on the very edge of his bed, his back to Tensa, and sighs. “At least, maybe there isn’t. Maybe there is. That would be the only explanation for why they grow here.”

Tensa shakes his head. “But there aren’t any. Maybe there’s another reason. Gin—”

“Your kitsune uncle can’t do this,” Shiro argues, and Tensa smiles despite himself.  _ Uncle. _ He supposes that is what Gin is to him, for as precious as his father is to the kitsune. “Szayel had him bewitch a flower to look like these, but something about the structure is still wrong. You can’t really mimic them. They’re growing true for someone here.”

What is that supposed to mean to Tensa? “What does that have to do with the tower—”

“If that tower was still bewitched enough to affect a human being, Mugetsu wouldn’t take Sosuke up there with him. Not even to risk it, not even if he begged. Surely you know him well enough to know that.” Shiro turns to look at him, and his eyes are sharp, suddenly. It’s not intimidating, but Tensa stills at the sight of him just the same. “He took him up there because he knows, enchanted or not, it wouldn’t work on him at all.”

The words have Tensa’s brow furrowing before realization slowly tugs at the bottom of his stomach, his head automatically shaking. “No. No, he wouldn’t have argued the point if—”

“I don’t think he wants him to realize. I don’t think he wants him to know because he’s already been through so much and he just got his life back.” Shiro stretches a hand out to him, then stops, then drops it, and Tensa’s heart lurches a little.  _ What’s wrong? _ “The necklace. Of course. But there was only one thing there. Not two.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tensa says. Now he’s lost. Truly and totally lost.

_ You’re smarter than this. Put the pieces together. What is he telling you? _ But he knows the gist of it. The necklace. One strange jewel, not two. The room in the tower, enchanted to trap humans, not working on his father. But… No. It isn’t possible, because even a lesser demon would be more powerful than Yhwach ever has been. Gin had to be caged because he was too strong to let roam free. Why would— No. Shiro has to be wrong, that’s all.

Shiro’s fingers ghost down the side of his face and Tensa jerks his head toward him. “You can’t be right. My father is human.  _ I’m _ human. If he wasn’t human… Yhwach never could—”

“I kept asking myself why he’d go to so much trouble to hide that damned little jewel and keep it under armed guard every single day when it’s nothing special. Not powerful, not able to do anything. Just a pretty bauble with some demon magic in it.” Shiro shrugs a shoulder, as if to show how vastly unimportant he thought it was, but Tensa can hardly keep up. None of this makes sense to him. It  _ can’t. _ “And so we couldn’t tell, but—”

“No.” Tensa puts his hands up, pulling away from Shiro’s touch.  _ No, it can’t be. _

Instead, Shiro presses on. “It’s not uncommon, I guess. The thing is, it usually doesn’t work. Humans get strange ideas into their heads. I know it happens just generally among them. Their child dies, they want another… So they think  _ stealing _ is appropriate, and—”

“You can’t just steal a demon child. No offense, but none of you are human. It’s obvious. I could have spotted something being wrong even if I knew no better.” The way his voice quivers makes him hate it so much. He doesn’t want to be weak anymore.

Shiro smiles faintly. “No offense, little prince, but I don’t want to be mistaken for human.”

The barb hurts more than it has any right to. “Well, it’s too bad for you that you fell in love with a human, then, isn’t it? You’ll just have to  _ live _ with that dishonor forever.”

“It’s not a dishonor to fall in love with someone like you, Tensa. And I’m trying to tell you to your face that you aren’t human.” Shiro shifts closer to him and Tensa pulls away because  _ no. _ No, he can’t be right. There’s no way. He… He’d  _ know _ , surely. “Your father isn’t human. But you’ve been raised human your whole life. Maybe you just don’t know—”

“How would I  _ not _ know?” Tensa demands, and Shiro just shakes his head at him.

When he reaches Tensa this time, he hooks his fingers in the collar of his robe, pulling him closer. The dip is lower than Tensa is usually comfortable with wearing, but he wanted to show off just a little today. It almost  _ burns _ having Shiro touch him so low on his chest like this, especially when he uses his grip to pull Tensa closer to him.

It is difficult to keep his head held high and ignore the soft flush of heat creeping up the back of his neck, but Shiro’s expression is still deadly serious. “There are certain glamours that could have been used. I wonder if I could crack it if I tried.”

Tensa’s entire body goes cold at the words and he shudders, dropping his head. “If it’s all the same to you, anything that involves  _ cracking _ is not of any interest to me.”

“If there’s no glamour in place, it can’t hurt you. Magic doesn’t work the way you think it does.” Shiro pulls himself up onto the mattress properly and sits so close to him that their knees touch, and Tensa tries vainly to ignore how his stomach flutters just slightly. Even the smallest touches reassure him so tenderly. “I know you’re scared, and I know why. But if there’s nothing, you won’t feel a thing. I promise you that.”

Sighing softly, Tensa nods just once. “All right. I’m trusting you. If you do hurt me, I won’t be able to forgive you for it. Because you promised me you wouldn’t.”

“And I wouldn’t blame you.” Shiro leans in to kiss him, a gentle brush of his lips against Tensa’s own. “Close your eyes if you don’t want to see. I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

Tensa debates with himself. He could be brave, but instead he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before giving Shiro a little nod to let him know he’s ready. He shivers when Shiro cups his face in those strong hands, sliding them down his cheeks to the sides of his neck before kissing him again. It startles him because he’s expecting… Something else, he supposes. An incantation, a spell, something. But Shiro just kisses him, lips moving slowly but surely against his own, coaxing him into slowly moving his own lips.

He’s so used to his lips tingling when Shiro kisses him that he doesn’t notice it at first.

It creeps slowly from his mouth and down his throat, almost centering where Shiro is touching him before moving further down. He thinks he’s blushing at first, a soft slow heat that spreads through his entire body and out into his limbs. It’s  _ embarrassing _ how easily his body reacts to the way Shiro touches him, how unpracticed he is. But what could he do, locked up in a place like this? Yhwach did not even want him to  _ marry _ —

His scalp  _ itches _ and Tensa realizes it isn’t a creeping wave of arousal glowing through him.

He panics at first, his hands fisting in the fabric of Shiro’s shirt, but Shiro just murmurs softly against his lips, inaudible as he kisses him again. His hands slide down, over Tensa’s chest and his sides to squeeze his hips. Shiro pulls him closer and Tensa squeaks against his mouth a moment before the itch in his skull finally abates, something seeming to slip out of the skin, though it’s painless. It doesn’t make it less terrifying.

“Easy, baby.” Shiro nips at his lower lip and then licks where his teeth touched, sucking on it gently until a soft little moan slips from Tensa’s lips. “You’re safe. I’m right here.”

When the tingling finally abates, Shiro leans away from him. Tensa protests. His lips are swollen and feel tender, his skin is too warm beneath his clothes, but he wants more. And then he opens his eyes, and Shiro is staring at him with a look of unabashed wonder.

“What is it?” He knows what it is. He’d known the moment he felt the change in his body, and he’s afraid to see his own reflection. “You… You look like you don’t mind the change.”

Shiro shakes his head, his eyes still blown wide. “You’re beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful but you are  _ incredibly _ beautiful. Stunning. You have to see yourself.”

“I don’t know if I want to.” The words come out so quickly and Tensa lowers his head, shaking it furiously. It’s then that he catches sight of his hands in his lap, of how pale his skin is.  _ Like Shiro’s. _ “Please don’t tell me we’re somehow related to one another.”

“No, baby. It’s not an uncommon trait among my kind. Some of us have skin darker than night, too.” Shiro reaches for his hands, tangling theirs together. “Don’t be nervous. You’re gorgeous. If I’d seen you before I became a soldier, I’d never have done it.”

The words make Tensa’s heart beat madly. _ No one _ has ever spoken to him like this. “Stop that. You’re supposed to like me for my personality, not for my physical appearance.”

“I love you for that already. This is just icing on the cake.” Shiro gives his hands a tug, but Tensa resists him. He’s not sure he wants to see even if everyone else will.

He remembers being younger and everyone telling him he looked just like Yhwach. That he would grow up to look like him. When he was very small, he thought that was a good thing. That he wanted to look like his father, and be tall and strong and powerful like him. It was only as he grew older that the thought of looking anything like that man curled his gut and made him dread looking in the mirror at all for fear he would see Yhwach’s face in the glass. Knowing that every day, he would get closer to a future just like that.

It frustrates him more than he wants to admit, but as he looks down at the hands held in Shiro’s own, his heart lightens. Because if Shiro is impossibly, improbably right… Then he’ll look like his father, one way or another. He’ll look like him right now.

When Shiro slides off of the bed, Tensa allows himself to be drawn off of the mattress with him. There’s something subtly off about his body, something that he can’t quite pin down, but he feels lighter on his feet, and he likes the way that feels.

“You’re stunning.” Shiro cups his cheek and kisses him again, and Tensa can’t help the way he leans into it, naturally softening into it. “I’m not going to be able to leave any marks on you from now on. The queen would see it from a while away.”

“Is it… Noticeable?” What a stupid question. As if anyone would miss this change.

Shiro cups his chin and runs his thumb over Tensa’s lower lip. “Your mouth is already redder just from that kiss alone. Oh yeah, it’s very noticeable. But in a good way. Everyone’s gonna be so damn jealous of how beautiful you are. Come see.”

He leads Tensa toward the dresser on the other side of the room and Tensa refuses to look up until Shiro stops, nudging him into the proper position likely right in front of it. He takes a slow, deep breath and reminds himself that this is… It’s good, and it’s him, and it was who he was meant to be. Who Yhwach tried to take away from him, and that makes his heart burn hot with fury. What right did he have to take  _ anything _ away?

Tensa looks up at himself, and his breath catches in his throat.

The first thing he notices are his eyes, because how can he not? He’s see other demons around the palace with eyes like these, the white swapped for black, making their irises stand out all the more. His are the same, now. His eyes have always been a soft, pale blue, but now there’s a silvery cast to them that he’s never seen before. It makes the color startling and vibrant and noticeable, and he’s taken aback by that alone.

His skin is as pale as Shiro’s is, but not just his skin. His hair, which had been the same rich deep chestnut color that Yhwach’s was, is white as well. There are black streaks through it, completely monochrome, showing up blue in the sunlight filling the room, drawing out the color in his eyes even further. And from his hair, jutting out of his scalp, are two black horns, smooth and sleek and nasty-looking.  _ Horns? _

“These are pretty.” Shiro stretches up a hand to touch one, skimming his fingers along the length of it, and Tensa shivers all over because he can  _ feel  _ it like someone running their fingertips along his spine. “And sensitive, too. I should have figured as much. But  _ fuck, _ Tensa, you’re beautiful. And I told you. I was right. You’re one of us.”

_ One of us. _ Tensa would have been horrified by such a claim before he met Shiro but as he studies his reflection in the mirror, his stomach doesn’t feel as hard or cold as it did when he used to look at himself like this. It’s alien and odd and it doesn’t  _ look _ like him—

But it feels right. There is no denying how right it feels to him. Like his skin is setting on his muscles and tendons and bones just right, and there’s something  _ more, _ too.

“How do you feel?” Shiro touches his chin, tilting Tensa’s face toward him once more.

“Good.  _ Right. _ Like it was meant to be like this. I don’t understand.” He is so hopelessly lost in these things. He was only just given a chance at a normal life, after all.

Shiro hums softly and steps closer to him, leaning down to kiss him again. Their lips meet softly and Tensa closes his eyes, daring to curl a hand around Shiro’s braid to draw him just a little closer. It feels like their bodies slot so perfectly together, like their limbs were fashioned to fit the shape of the other’s body. Tensa has been reading too much love poetry lately. He should be ashamed of such a flight of fancy.

“I was right to swear my loyalty to you and only you.” Shiro cups his face and the kisses grow harder and bolder, and Tensa’s face warms under the intensity of his focus. “My beautiful, sensitive, sweet prince. My Tensa. I  _ knew _ there was more to you all along.”

“If I’d known you’d act this way to see me like this, maybe I should have painted my face.” The joke is weak but his entire body is trembling. So much has happened.

In answer, though, Shiro sinks down to his knees, and his lips travel down as he goes, leaving kisses over Tensa’s chest and stomach through his robes. A startled little squeak leaves his lips and he leans back. It’s improper! They don’t know each other well enough—

“Do you have any idea how precious you are? Everything taken from you. Your body, your power, your childhood, your freedom. Your right to grow up safe and happy under the care and protection of parents who only wanted the best for you.” Shiro’s eyes are blazing gold like the sun high in the noon sky and Tensa is dizzy at the sight of him like this. Dizzier still when Shiro takes one of his hands and kisses each of his knuckles and then the palm. “And I show you this, this part of you so intrinsic to who you are, and you’re so accepting. You’re not angry. You’re not lashing out. You’re not falling apart at the seams to see how much was lost for so long. With beauty and grace, you’ve accepted this as who you are.”

It’s too much. Tensa isn’t prepared for this, for the way Shiro looks at him as he lays a kiss over his wrist. The veins and arteries show so much bluer against his skin now, as does the flush that Shiro’s lips leave on his skin. “You’re truly saying too much. Stop it at once.”

“You deserve to hear it. You should have been cherished from the moment you were born.” Shiro takes his other hand and kisses it as well, and Tensa’s face burns hotter than Shiro’s eyes. “You were so small and innocent. And he would have  _ blinded _ you for being curious about the thing he  _ took _ from you. I should revive him  _ just _ to kill him again.”

Tensa shakes his head helplessly. How is Shiro so easily able to overwhelm him? “There’s no need for that. All I care about is living the life I have now. As a human… As a demon prince, it’s what I have, and I want to make the most of it. Violence will not heal that.”

“Beautiful boy, inside and out.” Shiro stands so suddenly it frightens him, the movement so quick and graceful and  _ predatory _ , but there’s nothing dangerous about the way Shiro takes him in his arms and kisses him again, almost crushing Tensa against his chest.

The grip on him is a little too tight, actually, a little too suddenly strong for him; he grips Shiro’s shoulders and  _ pushes _ and is surprised when that little motion knocks him back about a foot. The space between them has his eyes widening, because surely he didn’t shove him back nearly so hard? Even Shiro looks momentarily startled, eyes wide, hands still held out where they were wrapped around Tensa, before he smiles devilishly.

“You’re stronger than me physically. I should have known. Royals usually are.” Shiro straightens and the way he looks at Tensa is  _ nothing _ less than lewd. “But that means I was right all along. Those flowers are growing for you, the beautiful demon prince of this palace. You and your father. And that bastard  _ kept _ you here like this—”

“Hush. No more of that.” Tensa lets the words fall quietly between them and Shiro stops talking, nodding once to assure him that he’s done.  _ Father… _ “We should tell Father the truth, then. It’s undeniable. He deserves to know. I just… I don’t understand  _ how _ —”

This time when Shiro takes Tensa in his arms, it’s gentler, hands smoothing up and down his back to comfort him as he nuzzles against the side of his neck. “The necklace, baby.”

“What  _ about _ the necklace?” Tensa demands, and Shiro hushes him, combing his fingers through Tensa’s hair. In the mirror, he can see the white strands mixing with the black.

“Demonic power is like a circuit. Like a closed circle. Like a chain. You break a link, and the chain is open. It can’t hold anything anymore, now can it?” Shiro waits for Tensa to nod, showing he understands, but it all makes little sense to him. What does a chain have to do with demon magic? “If I’m right, that necklace is the missing piece of the link. It’s very difficult magic for a human to pull off, but if you can successfully break a link in our circuit of power, it’s possible to render us far less dangerous. Almost human.”

Tensa closes his eyes.  _ No. _ That isn’t what he wants to hear.  _ Father never deserved that. _

Shiro nuzzles into his hair, right near the base of one of his horns, and it tickles and makes him shiver from head to toe. He’s never going to be used to that, he knows it. “If it was done when he was young enough and his magic undeveloped enough, it’s possible they found a way to hide it his entire life. Did Yhwach let you go down into the garden?”

Tensa’s chest seized with the question. “No. The one time Father tried to go down into them,  _ he _ caught him and punished him for it. I was so small but I remember all of it. I cried so much. We weren’t allowed to go down there until you came to the palace.”

“So the flowers could have never grown if the earth was never stimulated by the queen’s power. Or yours, little prince.” Shiro pulls him just a little closer, wrapping his body around him, using his bulkier form to shield Tensa, as if he can protect him from the pain of the truth. “And he’s spent all his life thinking he’s a human, beaten down into submission like this… Halibel is going to lose her fucking  _ mind _ when she finds out about it. But for now…”

Shiro tilts his head up and kisses him again, and Tensa clings to him. As ridiculous as it is, as everything refuses to make perfect sense to him, Shiro still does, and the anchor of his touch and reassurance and affection is enough to keep Tensa’s head on straight.

“You are my precious, beloved prince, Tensa. No matter what happens, no matter what we find out, I’m going to keep you safe and sound. I’m going to protect you like I said I would even though  _ definitely _ don’t need my protection.” Shiro kisses him on the forehead, and Tensa closes his eyes. This feels so nice, so warm. “Because you would never hurt another person, but I can stand between you and any harm that comes your way.”

When he sighs, Tensa cuddles closer to him. “What’s wrong, Shiro?”

“I was just thinking that we haven’t had a death in a royal demon family in all the time I’ve been alive,” Shiro muses. “You’ve definitely got a set of grandparents out there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love one (1) boy
> 
> try to guess the grandparents! there's 3. you have to guess a trio. it's not who you associate me with so don't start there.


	15. Chapter 15

Though the tower is filled with light due to its lack of windows and the palace itself boasting several more panes of glass embedded into its walls, the staircase is still shrouded in shadow. Nianzol does not care for tight spaces and drifts far ahead of them, but Mugetsu takes his time, keeping a hand braced on Sosuke’s elbow to ensure he does not trip on the way up. While Mugetsu can handle such a fall, a fragile human such as Sosuke—

_ Fragile human, _ he thinks,  _ but not so fragile after all. And perhaps not so human. _

“I want to apologize, my love,” he says, and Sosuke glances at him, dark eyes studying his expression. “I shouldn’t have tried to make the choice for you. Pledging to protect you is one thing, but taking the choice out of your hands is another. I’m sorry.”

Sosuke stares at him for a moment longer before sniffing and looking back toward their destination. “Yes, well, make sure you don’t do it again. I don’t particularly like being treated like a child despite what our significant age difference would suggest.”

Mugetsu smiles and slides his hand down Sosuke’s arm, twining their fingers together as he brings Sosuke’s hand to his mouth to kiss it. What he wouldn’t give to spend an entire afternoon with his mouth on Sosuke’s body, teaching him the pleasure that he doubts Yhwach ever bothered to give him. “You are far from a child in my eyes.”

“I would hope so.” Sosuke scoffs at him, but there is the beginning of a smile at the corner of his mouth. “What do you think Yhwach was doing with a mage in the first place?”

_ What a question. _ Mugetsu knows not the answer, but the clues are not lost on him. Not now. This room explains enough to him, a rainbow-shrouded prison created to house a single, specific occupant whose magic denoted such extreme measures. Someone who was powerful, perhaps powerful enough to sever the magic cord in an infant—

_ You are getting ahead of yourself, _ he thinks. But even he knows this is simply not true.

How could he have been so blind to the truth? Maybe a part of him never wanted to believe such a thing  _ could _ be true. Perhaps the reality of one of his own kind at the mercy of such a horrible man was too much for him to consider, too difficult for him to stomach, and that was  _ before _ the flowers began blooming all around the palace. He should have put two and two together, then, realized that the stimulus had come from the touch of a royal demon after all. One who has been missing since only  _ months _ after his birth.

Perhaps the stone merely complicated things too much. The pretty bauble around Sosuke’s neck, the jewel flickering with the magic  _ stolen _ from the man wearing it.

Gin’s skinny fingers whisper along his arm and Mugetsu glances back at him, raising an eyebrow. “What is it, kitsune? Not found of dark and small spaces yourself?”

“I was just thinking that I sat in that meeting room for so long and I never heard hide nor hair of any strange little humans running around this palace.” Gin’s ear twitches, and he looks visibly disturbed. Remembering his time in the cage must be traumatizing, and Mugetsu would not blame him for that at all. It was too small a space for such a majestic creature even in his smaller animal form. “I wonder why that was? The room didn’t  _ work _ —”

“Whether it worked or not remains to be seen. What I’m wondering is what broke the glass.”  _ Did Gin never pick up on it? Sosuke found him outside. Surely the flowers— _

Perhaps the trickery was too fresh, then. Perhaps it eroded over time. Mugetsu has not the necessary answers, but he hopes Halibel will. He knows Ulquiorra understood his request well enough to pick up all the loaded directions beneath it. As one of his smartest and most cunning men, Ulquiorra always knows what he is truly asking of him.

“Did your weasel pick up on whether or not it was broken from the inside or outside?” Gin asks, and Mugetsu cocks his head at him, pausing on the stairs. “I’m just wondering if someone rescued the prisoner from the outside or if they walked in and did it.”

That certainly is a thought. “Why destroy the glass if you could walk in the door?”

“There are several reasons I could think of to destroy a prison,” Sosuke murmurs, and Mugetsu instinctively draws him closer, smoothing a hand up and down his back before kissing the side of his neck. His queen deserves only the best. “Imagine being able to walk away from this and knowing it could never come back to hurt you because it was gone.”

“Then we should make sure it’s gone for the person who managed to escape,” Gin says.

Mugetsu nods, though inside he is not so sure. If the mage who was imprisoned was the same one who—  _ No, I do not have proof of such a thing yet. When I can definitively say that Sosuke is a royal demon, then we can pursue that line of thinking. _

He is not exactly a proponent of permanent imprisonment, not to this degree, but he might make an exception for someone willing to harm an innocent child.

When they near the top of the stairs, though, Sosuke hesitates. The expression on his face is haunted and it makes Mugetsu’s chest ache enough that he draws Sosuke into his arms, hushing him gently as he rubs soothing circles into his back. As much as it pains him to admit it, he cannot take back the past Sosuke managed to escape, though just barely. All he can do is hold him now when the past comes back to harm him, chase away the memories with the tenderness of the present and hope it is enough to help Sosuke heal.

“I’m sorry.” Sosuke shudders against his neck. “This is a very difficult time for me.”

“I’m not judging you. I know it’s been rough for you.” Mugetsu nuzzles into Sosuke’s hair, nose bumping against the braids in his ear, the soft silken flower petals. He can feel a strand of root or vine nudge against his nose and frowns; they’re still growing. “Just take your time and take deep breaths, my queen. I promised you I would take care of you.”

Sosuke hums softly against his skin, and Mugetsu kisses his forehead, then cups his chin so he can kiss him on the mouth. “Thank you. You’re a very reassuring presence for me.”

“What can I say? I try my best, my darling.” Mugetsu leans against the wall, drawing Sosuke up against his chest, their noses brushing together. “You smell so sweet.”

“It’s the flowers, not me,” Sosuke says, and though he sounds confident in that, Mugetsu could argue the point. Is it not Sosuke, if the flowers bloom for him?

“When I first met Halibel when I was a child, she was wearing a crown of flowers just like these.” Mugetsu plucks a petal free from one of the blossoms, brushing it along the side of Sosuke’s nose and chuckling when he shivers. “I thought they were the most beautiful flowers I’d ever seen. And they are, you know. They only grow for those who are worthy.”

At this, Sosuke looks doubtful. “I don’t know. There’s no one in the palace who is a royal demon. Are you… Are you  _ quite _ sure you and your brother are not..?”

The way Gin turns away tells Mugetsu all he needs to know about that train of thought. “No, Sosuke, we aren’t. I look just like my father.”  _ But I bet you don’t look like yours. _

“Then I wonder who.” Sosuke shakes his head, and Mugetsu wonders if he should ask outright or if he should let Sosuke draw the conclusion himself. Surely he must have started on the path of self-reflection if he could have come to this.

Maybe it would be better to let him see the truth on his own rather than spell it out for him. It would likely only cause even more trouble to continue making assumptions.

He cups Sosuke’s cheek and kisses him once more, layering the kiss against his lips until Sosuke leans heavily into him, fingers smoothing over his chest as he presses the two of them closer together. Calming Sosuke down, bringing him back to the here and now, is important to Mugetsu. He doesn’t like seeing his queen so upset, so torn up by his past, and though he cannot change it, he can ground him. He can give him the tenderness and affection he should have been given from the very beginning and take care of him.

Sosuke looks up at him through heavily-lidded eyes and smiles softly, nuzzling against his cheek. “Thank you,  _ anata. _ I’m fine now. Let’s go up so we can properly investigate.”

“Of course, my heart.” Mugetsu kisses him on the forehead and takes him by the elbow, and they resume their walk to the top. Behind him, he can hear Gin cackling faintly.

The tower is still suffused with light when they reach the doorway. Nianzol sits crouched in the center of the floor, his long black hair spilling around his face and hiding his expression from view. Golden light gleams off of the blade-like appendages protruding from his forearms, making them look especially wicked. When he glances up at them, his face is troubled. There must be more in this room than Mugetsu expected.

Gin spirits past both of them to kneel down at Nianzol’s side, slender white fingers brushing over the floor. “Ah, I do feel something here. You were right, little weasel.”

“Make sure the queen is well if he crosses the threshold,” Nianzol says firmly, his golden eyes somber. Mugetsu has never seen him look so serious before.

_ No wonder you were so cryptic downstairs. You must have sensed something very bad. _ “Of course.” He ushers Sosuke into the room, watching him closely for any sign of discomfort.

Instead, Sosuke smiles breezily at him. “I told you there was nothing to be afraid of.”

_ Of course not. _ “I’m glad you’re safe. Shall we have a look around why the two of them work on the floor? I’ve little talent for tearing away glamours. Shiro has that in our family.”

“Is there any reason why you aren’t good at it?” Sosuke lets Mugetsu lead him over to one of the open windows, gazing out at the kingdom before them. The grass is lush and green and the mountains are bright peaks in the distance, jutting up into the spring blue of the sky. “How gorgeous. I’ve always wanted to go up into the mountains.”

The comment makes Mugetsu smile and he draws Sosuke up against his side, petting a hand down his back. “I’ll take you up there if you want. We can go on horseback and any terrain too treacherous to traverse, I can carry you. You’d be surprised at my climbing skills.”

“You can’t fly like Ulquiorra can?” Sosuke bats his lashes up at him, and Mugetsu smiles softly and shakes his head, kissing Sosuke on the forehead.

Behind them, Gin and Nianzol murmur to each other as they no doubt try to puzzle out the mystery of this room, and Mugetsu is antsy. He needs to know what was here and why, and  _ who _ was here and why they are gone. Specifically, he wants to hunt them down, pin them to the dirt, and demand to know what right they had to fracture the power of an innocent child far too young to do anything about it. Far too young to even protect himself.

“I’ve always wondered what it’s like to fly. It must be so exhilarating being so high in the air, so above everything.” Sosuke sighs wistfully and Mugetsu hums in answer.

“I could have Ulquiorra take you up into the sky some time,” he offers, and Sosuke smiles up at him. “I’m serious He’s very strong, and he’s the most capable flyer of my men.”

“Is that so? Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer then. Just a little taste would be nice.” Sosuke turns around and sits in the open windowframe, his hands pressed into the stone on either side of him for support and balance. “You know, most of the demons have some strange characteristic that makes him visibly a demon. You don’t seem to have any.”

Mugetsu has heard this before. Growing up, it was obvious what Shiro was even when he remained in his more humanoid form and did not use the full extent of his power. The dead white skin and the inverted eyes tended to give it away if his demeanor did not, but Mugetsu could be mistaken for human by those who never knew what to look for. There are humans with crimson eyes though the feature is considered exotic. Black hair is not special, and his darker skin is not unusual around humans who spend time in the sun.

“Not all of us are visibly all that different from humans. We’re called more frightening for that reason.” It is much simpler to kill an enemy who cannot see what he truly is.

He watches Sosuke’s face as he tilts his head to the side, as if debating the merits of this statement, before chuckling. “I suppose you have something nasty hidden under your exterior, just as Tesla is able to change into a bull-like shape.”

“Some of us are shapeshifters by nature, yes. Shiro is, for instance.” Mugetsu skims his fingers down the side of Sosuke’s face, watching as he leans into it. “You should pray you never see what I transform into. I only use that power during an emergency.”

“I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that,” Sosuke murmurs. Mugetsu sincerely hopes not. Sosuke has had more than enough of a hard life in this palace. He deserves peace.

It stays Mugetsu’s hand when it comes to telling him the truth he has ferreted out. It keeps him from stretching out a hand, rolling the orb at Sosuke’s throat between his fingers, and crushing it just to see what would happen if he freed the magic within. Surely Yhwach would have kept it close at hand while distant all at the same time, intent on not letting Sosuke reclaim what rightfully belonged to him. If it was too far away, anyone could steal it out from under him. Too close, and Sosuke might stumble upon it one day.

He wonders what Sosuke would look like if he shed his human skin.

“Okay, I’ve figured it out.” Gin claps his hands and Mugetsu turns to look at him, staying the thoughts rolling through his mind. “It was kind of difficult, though. There are layers to it, which I expected, but there are more than I thought there could be.”

Mugetsu frowns at him and holds a hand out behind him, content when Sosuke takes it and comes to stand next to him. Close to his side, his protection. “What do you mean, kitsune?”

“There is definitely a glamour on this room, but there is more than one. Several of them layered on top of each other and woven together. It’s a pattern, but it took me a minute to figure out the lay of it so I could break it down.” Gin beams up at him, evidently proud of himself; next to him, Sosuke smiles fondly and shakes his head.

The two of them make such a pair. Mugetsu is happy they have each other.

Nianzol sits back on his knees and glances up at them over his shoulder. “Keep an arm around the queen just in case. We don’t fully know what we’re about to open up.”

“That’s the one drawback,” Gin agrees, and Mugetsu cocks his head, not quite understanding. Glamour has always been a loss for him. He doesn’t have the delicate touch for it and is annoyed that Shiro, destructive brat that he is, somehow does. “It feels like a simple glamour but with the way these charms are woven together, it could be more.”

“And the containment charm beneath all of that? Do you want to tell me if it’s going to be dangerous to Sosuke as you break it down?” Mugetsu asks, concerned.

Gin drags his teeth over his bottom lip and sighs. “It’s hard to tell. At any rate, once I expose it, we can break it. So he won’t be stuck in here. I’d never do that to him.”

“Then do it. The sooner we’re done with this, the better.” And perhaps Mugetsu is nervous.

If it activates and Sosuke is not affected…  _ He’s going to be angry with you for not telling him the truth right away. Your intentions aren’t going to mean much if he thinks all you are doing is lying to him about the things that matter the most. _

They will cross that bridge when they arrive at its edge.

Gin spreads his hands across the floor and bows his head, and Mugetsu can feel the tangible rise of his power in the room, the way it soaks into the floor beneath their feet. It would be almost unnoticeable in such bright sunlight except that Gin’s magic carries a blue shimmer along its edges, and it travels out from where his fingers touch in an interesting spiderweb pattern that loops in on itself over and over again.

“It’s pretty,” Sosuke says, and Mugetsu nods. “I remember when I was little, still. I scraped my knee when we were playing, and it looked like that when he healed it.”

Such a simple memory, it makes Mugetsu’s chest hurt. “How old were you then? Where did you live before you came to live in this wretched place?”

“It isn’t so wretched now that you are here with me.” Sosuke leans his cheek against Mugetsu’s shoulder and the one small act of affection is enough to make Mugetsu instinctively curl around him protectively. If anyone deserves protection in this world, it is Aizen Sosuke whether he needs it or not. “I was about five years old. And I lived with my family. I thought they must have cared about me when I was younger, but I was… Almost trained to be Yhwach’s queen. I never had a chance to make the decision for myself.”

Groomed from childhood to become the bride of a monster. Mugetsu squeeze his eyes shut; it just keeps getting worse, the pain and agony stacking on top of each other into a tower so high that it is no wonder Sosuke felt so alone. “I would kill your parents.”

“They never visited after the wedding. I thought they would. I thought they’d want to meet Tensa, but they didn’t.” Sosuke tilts his head, his lips whispering against Mugetsu’s cheek, his breath warm. “What about your parents? Would they like to meet me?”

“Oh, they would. They would adore the man who managed to capture my heart.” Mugetsu turns his head and pecks Sosuke on the lips. It’s true; his parents would  _ adore _ Sosuke.

Gin makes a small noise of discontent on the floor and shifts on his knees, his tails whispering across the marble as he looks up at them once more. “There’s more here than I thought there was now that I’m unraveling it. Don’t let anything happen to him, Mugetsu.”

“Of course not.” Just what has Gin found to make him so antsy?

Whatever it is, it is enough for Mugetsu to turn and sweep Sosuke off of the floor and into his arms, drawing him away from the flow of Gin’s magic and into his own chest. Sosuke makes a small noise and curls closer to him, wrapping a hand around the back of his neck and shifting to better balance himself. The entire floor is glowing now, threads upon threads of magic spun together that Gin weaves with an expert precision as far as Mugetsu can tell. Nianzol just watches him, his expression unreadable.

“It’s nasty,” Nianzol finally says, and Mugetsu pulls Sosuke just a little closer, holds him just a little tighter. “Whatever this is. I don’t like it. Gin, something is wrong.”

Gin nods slowly, then flattens his hands against the floor and takes a deep breath. “I’m going to shatter the glamour and see what’s underneath. Whatever it is, it can’t be stronger than our king. So I am depending on you, Mugetsu, to get us through it.”

Mugetsu nods. He keeps his sword on his person at all times. “Of course.”

Glamour charms are such a vague descriptor for such a wide variety of magic. Some of them are based solely on appearance, some on deception, and so many of them are nearly impossible to detect unless someone is skilled in detecting them. If they already know what the room was being used for prior to now, what did Yhwach order hidden inside of these walls that was somehow more monumental than that? Mugetsu cannot guess.

When the glamour breaks, the quality of light in the room changes very suddenly.

Mugetsu’s arms tighten around Sosuke automatically the second he registers the change, his hackles rising. The windows are no longer empty; rainbow glass filters the light through the room in an array of colors, a startling effect in the bright daylight. It’s too much all at once and Mugetsu winces at the vibrancy of the glass, tucking his face in against Sosuke’s hair to try to filter out as much of the glare as possible. In his arms, Sosuke shivers.

“Are you all right?” Mugetsu can feel the prickle of magic in the air. It’s strange, but not harmful. Not to him, at any rate. It wasn’t designed to effect demons.

“I don’t like how fast the light changed. Otherwise I’m fine.” Sosuke shifts so he can press their faces together, breathing warm against Mugetsu’s lips. “It’s just very creepy. I don’t understand. Weren’t the windows broken just a moment ago?”

Nianzol pushes himself to his feet, giving himself a full-body shake, and Mugetsu understands. The wind in the room is instantly gone, and it makes him nervous. “That was the glamour. The windows were never broken. I’ve never seen that shit used before.”

“It’s nearly impossible to make work in the real world, but I’ve heard about it before.” Mugetsu shifts Sosuke in his arms, unwilling to set him down as runes begin to appear on the floor beneath their feet.  _ So there is a charm in place after all. _ “Creating a glamour that masks the real room and hides a different one beneath. How wicked.”

Gin’s ears twitch and tremble and he sucks in a harsh breath, throwing himself back across the floor, skittering across the runes. “Where the fuck did he come from?”

Mugetsu whirls around to see a dark figure curled up into the fetal position in the corner of the room and takes several steps back. “Nianzol, take Sosuke. Do  _ not _ set him down.”

“If it’s all the same to you, King,” Nianzol says, his voice oddly off. The lack of air is upsetting to him in more ways than one. “I’d like to take the queen and leave the room.”

“Then do so. Whatever this is, I can take care of it.” Mugetsu turns to deposit Sosuke into his waiting arms, and Sosuke reaches for him, eyes blown wide with uncertainty and fear. “It’s fine. Trust me to be able to handle the situation. Go find Tensa and wait for me.”

“D’you need me to stay?” Gin asks, and his voice is quivering. He’s frightened, and Mugetsu can’t blame him; he shakes his head. “Good. Let’s go, So. He’s a warrior, he can handle it.”

The figure moves suddenly, all jerky motions, head flying up so hard it smacks into the wall behind it with a sickening thud. A tattered hood hides the face beneath but Mugetsu still unsheathes his sword; the blade purrs in recognition of battle and he can feel the familiar thrum of energy that sinks into the demon markings that cover half of his body.

“Aizen Sosuke?” The voice is husky and broken, as if the speaker has not used words for a very long time. It’s keenly wrong to Mugetsu’s ears. “Are you the queen?”

Sosuke freezes; Mugetsu can see the confusion in his gaze. “I— I am. And who are—”

Humans are, by and large, slower than demons. They just are; they lack the natural speed and grace and their fumbling movements could never match the predatory precision of any of Mugetsu’s kind. That being said, magic-users can be faster than most. Mugetsu has never met a human faster than him until he feels the whisper of air against his cheek as the human darts past him, just out of the reach of his blade. And straight at Sosuke.

_ Too slow, _ Mugetsu thinks even as he whirls around, swinging his blade.  _ How could I be— _

“I’m so sorry.” The human’s voice is raspy and it sounds painful and Mugetsu watches long, pale fingers appear from the end of a fluttering black sleeve, reaching for the pendant at Sosuke’s throat even as Nianzol stumbles back. “This is one wrong I can right.”

Mugetsu can hear the sound of the jewel shattering, and then the windows  _ explode. _

When he first joined Halibel’s army, he only heard of her power and prowess in battle but never had a chance to witness it himself. Never had the chance to witness the power of any royal demon because, for the most part, they do not engage in such acts of war. Halibel was different. She wanted to train them personally. She worked with them to help them grow stronger and more capable in battle, and Mugetsu thrived on that.

He asked her, once, what the full weight of her power felt like. He was curious and perhaps wanted to test fate a little too much. Her power flattened him in seconds. It was like drowning, but electricity filled his lungs instead of water. It sizzled through his veins. It ,  _ burned _ . Halibel only let him feel it for a moment, but he never forgot about it.

This is worse than that. It’s heavier. It slams him into the floor so suddenly and painfully that his skull cracks against the runes, the breath punched out of his lungs. Breathing makes his ribs ache because they refuse to expand, and it’s like breathing in lightning. The scent of burnt ozone prickles his nose and he wriggles around until he can bury his face in his hair, desperate to escape that scent. Even holding his eyes open is difficult.

No one is standing now except for Sosuke. No one else can bear the weight of his power.

_ Didn’t I know you would be this powerful when I met you? _ Mugetsu thinks. His hands scrabble for purchase against the floor. Even his sword groans next to him, the steel creaking.  _ Didn’t I know you were strong the moment I looked into your eyes? _

For one moment, Mugetsu thinks Sosuke might not realize what’s happened. Might not be able to stop the crushing weight bearing down on all of them, grinding them into the floor. But Gin forces himself to speak, the words sounding torn from his throat.

“You have to  _ stop, _ ” he wheezes, ears pinned back against his silver hair. “Turn it off Sosuke,  _ please. _ Reach inside to your core and think _ off _ , I think I’m  _ dying. _ ”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” And then all of them can breathe again, and Mugetsu shudders in relief.

His body aches as he pushes himself up slowly on his hands, shaking his hair back off of his face as he raises his eyes to where his queen now stands before him, radiant and glowing.

It takes him aback at first, the barely-there but visible pale white light that seems to hug Sosuke’s body like a second skin, pearly on top of his own peachy flesh. As if the moon is somewhere within him, giving off this sweet cast of light that likely only demon eyes would even be able to pick up. It isn’t muted by the sunlight that now fills the room, the glass properly broken, scattered across the floor in a million shards of rainbow glass.

Sosuke has a hand pressed delicately to his own lips, and he looks at Mugetsu with eyes that are  _ different, _ eyes that are vibrant violet where they should be white, silvery pale irises filled with starlight. But the most noticeable change is behind him. Huge and white and gleaming, massive butterfly wings frame Sosuke like an exotic angel, stark against the darkness of his robes. He has never looked more beautiful to Mugetsu than he does now.

“Oh,” he exhales, and promptly forgets about the ache in his muscles and the creaks in his joints. “Oh my love, my darling, my queen, you are beyond beautiful.”

“Mugetsu?” Sosuke sounds uncertain, holding his hand out in front of his face, examining his fingers before looking to Mugetsu once more. “I— I don’t know what this means.”

Slowly, Mugetsu drags himself to his feet so he can walk across the floor to his mate, then sinks onto his knees once more, taking Sosuke’s hands in both of his and pressing reverent kisses to his fingers. His skin is warm and Mugetsu can taste the aura of power wrapped around him, shivers in the presence of it and scoots just a little closer to him, ignoring how the floor bites into his knees. Ignoring everything else but the man before him.

“Welcome back, Aizen Sosuke, my heart.” Mugetsu smiles up at him, and Sosuke only blinks at him, looking hopelessly lost. “Congratulations. You’re whole again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sound off in the comments lemme know your theories on what just went down


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **big warning:** there is attempted suicide in this chapter

* * *

 

If Gin was a lesser kitsune, he thinks his ribs would have broken under the pressure of Sosuke’s impossible power. As it is, his joints are still tender when he sits up.

“Sosuke?” His voice comes out a little rougher than he means for it to, but inhaling Sosuke’s raw power has left his throat sore. “Are you all right, my love?”

What a stupid question. Sosuke is _more_ than all right. The softer, delicate flutter of his wings makes a beautiful sound in the air as he turns to look at Gin with demon eyes, his mouth half-open as if struggling to find the words to explain this. To explain how he feels. But he lets Mugetsu hold his hands, and lets Mugetsu kiss them, so he must, on some level, still be functioning. He looks breathtaking, and Gin is not the least bit surprised to see the back of his robes are not torn, but the fabric has re-woven itself to accommodate his wings. His magic functioned naturally to keep him chaste.

 _He must be so powerful,_ Gin thinks. _Is he the reason the flowers have been blooming?_

Gin stands slowly, dusting shards of glass off of his kimono before he walks up to Sosuke and throws his arms around his shoulders. He’s careful of the wings, not wanting to strike them, not sure how sensitive they are to touch, unfurled and new. “You are so lovely.”

“I don’t understand what happened.” Sosuke leans back to look at him, and Gin’s breath catches. His eyes are _gorgeous._ Gin has never seen violet and silver paired together like this. _Like the moonlight shining on those flowers._ “Please tell me what’s going on.”

Mugetsu stands, then, and Gin brushes a glitter of glass off of his shoulder and out of his hair. “You’re a demon, Sosuke. A royal demon. You have been all of your life.”

“That’s not possible. I’m human. I’ve always been human.” His eyes cloud with confusion and Gin’s heart hurts because it isn’t fair that Sosuke has to suffer like this.

“No, my queen. You aren’t and you never were.” Mugetsu clasps the chain around Sosuke’s neck, a quick twist separating the links and freeing the jagged piece of the crystal left. Likely before it can hurt him. “This was the key. I was so stupid for not realizing it sooner. Someone took just a small piece of you away and placed it in this jewel, and your power was broken as a result. Crushing the jewel restored you to your natural state.”

“As one of us,” Gin says, and runs his fingers carefully over Sosuke’s face.

When Mugetsu lowers his voice, Gin knows his next words are going to hurt. “You met Gin as a young child, so I can only presume it must have happened when you were very young. Perhaps even a baby. And so you grew up never knowing what you really were.”

“He did this, didn’t he?” Sosuke doesn’t have to say his name for all of them to know.

Gin’s chest aches. “I don’t know,” he murmurs. “It could have also been your parents.”

Sosuke’s face crumples; Gin cannot imagine what he is going through right now. Gin’s parents are dead, and he’s known that most of his life. They were dead when he met Sosuke, something that is unfortunately common for kitsune who are hunted down by humans for either their magic or their coats. But he always knew who and what he was, and he never had any doubts about that. He was proud of being a kitsune, of being strong, and he honed his magic so that he would never have to feel weak or helpless.

He cannot imagine how it must feel to be _made_ that way, to have everything taken from you. He can remember countless instances of seeing Yhwach lay his hands on Sosuke, but this… Is impossibly cruel to imagine. That someone would target an _infant_ , a _baby._

When Sosuke covers his face with his hands, Mugetsu moves faster than Gin ever could, wrapping Sosuke up in his arms so that Sosuke has an anchor for the moment when he breaks down crying. Even when his knees weaken and his legs go slack, Mugetsu holds him up. Rubs his back and whispers into his hair, and Gin gives them space.

His eyes drift toward the cloaked man lying on the floor several feet away. For a moment, he thinks the human might have _died_ beneath the weight of Sosuke’s power, but he can see a faint movement of the chest, rising and falling. So their sorcerer isn’t dead yet.

“I wonder,” Gin muses, kneeling down next to the human and reaching for his hood, “if you were the one who did this to my beloved Sosuke in the first place, ne?”

Would anyone look down on him for ripping the bastard’s throat out if it were true?

Gin gathers the black fabric in his hand, the coarse texture giving him only a moment of pause before he yanks it back so hard it half-tears from the seam. The face beneath is still and pale, dark bruises under the eyes, the lips cracked and scabbed over as if they once bled. Gin takes all of this in curiously before pressing his fingers against the man’s throat, feeling for a pulse. There is one, but it is insanely faint.

“You’re going to die on me, hmm? It’s too bad I can’t let you. Though it’d probably be for the best if I did after what you’ve done.” He considers just taking the man to Szayel, who he knows can heal him, and then hauls his arm back and backhands the man. “Wake up!”

The man’s head thuds against the floor, and Gin winces. Probably not best to damage his brain if he’s trying to wake him up. So he grasps a handful of greasy black hair and gives it a harsh yank, patting the man roughly on the cheek. Surely he can’t be _that_ close to death.

 _Shouldn’t have made a room like this in the first place,_ Gin thinks somewhat savagely.

Nianzol comes to kneel down next to him, and he looks worse than Gin feels right now. There is a long, thin cut on his cheek. Maybe the glass hit him at just the wrong angle, though he hardly seems to mind the smear of blood on his skin. “Let me see him. Jerking him around like a ragdoll isn’t going to wake him up if he’s half-dead anyway.”

“Suddenly you’re a healer,” Gin mutters, but he sits back to let Nianzol work. “The king knew. Did you _also_ know and that’s why you didn’t want Sosuke to come up here?”

In answer, Nianzol snorts at him. “No, you idiot fox. I thought the charm would directly hurt the queen and I didn’t want him to suffer more than he already has.”

“Well,” Gin murmurs, looking to where Sosuke is clinging to Mugetsu, “too late for that.”

“He isn’t getting enough oxygen into his lungs. That’s why we’re losing him.” Nianzol parts the man’s lips and Gin feels the little breeze of air against his skin as Nianzol moves his hands to the man’s chest, lacing his fingers together to press down on his sternum. “I’m going to try to get him breathing normally again. Then we need to take him to Szayel.”

Gin wrinkles his nose up at him. “Why? There’s no harm in just letting him die for this.”

“The queen deserves answers, and this may be the only person who can give them to him.” Nianzol ignores him, then, focusing on the task at hand. Seemingly moving air in and out of the man’s lungs in an effort to coax him to breathe on his own once again.

Fair enough. Gin leaves Nianzol to his work and checks on Sosuke once more. It’s mostly sobbing, pain that seems dragged up from the guts, and he only catches a few half-words amidst the groans and desperate mewls. Mugetsu’s face says how much it’s killing him to hear this but he never lets Sosuke go, holding him up against his chest, lips pressed against Sosuke’s ear to whisper to him. It hurts. It makes Gin want to _die_ to see Sosuke like this. He still vividly recalls how Sosuke huddled in his arms and broke down after his wedding night and thinking that he’d never let Sosuke cry like that again.

_I broke my promise to you, love. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you from that._

Mugetsu finally sweeps Sosuke off of his feet, making meaningful eye contact with Gin. “I’m taking him to our room to rest. This is too much for him. He needs a moment.”

“I know. Please take care of him.” Gin wants to go with them, but the least he can do, he supposes, is make sure Sosuke gets answers. “We’re taking that bastard down to Szayel once Nianzol fixes his lungs or whatnot. See if he can tell us what’s happened.”

When Mugetsu nods, his face hardens. “Feel free not to be overly gentle with him.”

“Wouldn’t dream of being kind to anyone who hurt my Sosuke.” Gin rolls his lower lip between his teeth and bites down, then spits out, “See if you can find Tensa on the way there. No one ever makes So feel better the way that Tensa can.”

“Of course. I’ll have Shiro there to help me watch over them.” And with that, Mugetsu heads downstairs, one arm carefully wrapped around Sosuke’s wings to keep them from dragging against the walls of the corridor. He’s thoughtful. At least Sosuke has him.

Behind him, there is a brutal coughing sound, and Gin turns to see Nianzol holding the man upright in a sitting position, patting him on the back while he chokes. “Not in a great state, are you?” Nianzol asks, and the man splutters. “But this is a start, surely. Can you stand?”

“Where even was he? I sure didn’t see him when we walked into the room,” Gin says.

“I could be wrong but I think he was hidden under all that glamour. That’s… Not something I’ve seen done before, but I don’t know why you couldn’t do it.” Nianzol is disgusted at that, and Gin feels a creeping sickness in his gut at the thought. Trapped in this tower for how long, he wonders. Left here to rot while people could walk freely in and out without seeing him. What kind of magic user would do something like that? Likely another human.

Or maybe the man himself made the room and ended up locked inside. He _deserved_ it for hurting Sosuke. He deserved it for making him helpless to Yhwach’s abuse.

The thought makes Gin hot with rage once more. He’d _felt_ Sosuke’s power when it slammed him to the floor, the pressure of it so intense against his back he might have been ground into the floor beneath them if he never withdrew it. Sosuke was _beyond_ power; he was power itself. And this bastard had the gall to take that away from him so some awful man with a god complex could hurt him again and again with no remorse? _No. Not in my lifetime._

Gin stalks across the room and grabs the man by the front of his shirt, heaving him up to his feet. His legs are barely strong enough to lock into place, but Gin bears down on him just the same. “Who the fuck do you think you are? Yhwach could have killed him!”

He never raises his voice, and his throat hurts, but the man winces just the same. “I—”

“Sosuke suffered for years in this fucking prison because your kind couldn’t just let him live.” Gin gives the man a brutal shake and his head snaps backward with the force of it. “Turning him helpless, taking away his power. That bastard tried to hit his _son_.”

The man in his grasp whimpers and Nianzol takes a step forward. “That’s enough, fox.”

“I know.” The man’s voice breaks and he sobs helplessly. “I know. I know. _I know!_ ”

Gin drops him and the man lands on his hands and knees on the floor, sobbing into the runes carved into its surface. It takes everything in him not to kick the bastard, send him flying across the room and into the wall. Or maybe out the window. “You were not _here,_ weasel. You did not _see_ what Yhwach did to Sosuke. How much he hurt him. How he tried to _break_ him in body and mind and spirit. _You_ don’t get to say what is and is not enough.”

To his surprise, Nianzol takes a step back. “Very well. Then by all means, take your anger out on who may or may not be the perpetrator. And when you’ve killed him and we know nothing about how this happened, I’m sure Sosuke will sleep well at night.”

Gin stalks across the floor, seizing him by the throat. “Say that again. Say it to my face.”

“I know you’re upset.” Nianzol almost spits the words into his face, his eyes blazing with fury. “But the queen deserves to know why and how. And we can’t fully say without a witness. If this man knows _anything,_ then we need to get it out of him.”

“If you ever imply that I would put anything other than Sosuke’s needs first—” Gin starts.

He stops, because he realizes that their guest of honor is now standing in front of one of the open windows and has a foot placed carefully on the wide sill. _Oh, he’s going to jump._

Nianzol turns to look, swears, and smacks Gin off of him as he sprints across the room.

Kitsune are the fastest demons currently living, and they have a leg up on kamaitachi who _need_ the wind for speed and are otherwise as slow as humans without it. Gin soars through the air and stretches a hand out just as the man slips from the window frame. So Gin has to yank himself half over the edge to grab him, both hands snapping shut around one of his arms. It _yanks_ in the socket but Gin holds tight to him. And realizes he’s slipping.

 _Well, this is definitely going to be fun to explain to Sosuke,_ he thinks just as he falls.

The impact with the earth would kill the human and seriously wounds him, but it never comes. The current of air feels almost solid beneath them, catching them and lifting them back up to the window, spilling them inside. Nianzol catches Gin when he stumbles and rights him, then grabs the man around the waist and hefts him over one slim shoulder.

“Diving out of windows isn’t smart or safe,” he says, already heading for the stairwell. “He’s suicidal. Let’s get him down to Szayel so he can be knocked out and tied down.”

Gin rolls his eyes but follows after them. He owes Nianzol a _thank you_ at some point.

🦊     🦊     🦊     🦊

Kira Izuru almost trips over his own feet on his way into the palace, ignoring the calls of his name at his back as he hurries into the spacious entrance hall. Guards are meant to stay stationed outside of the palace at all times unless they are called inside or when they swap shifts, and now is neither of those times. But Kira had glanced up when the tower exploded just in time to see Ichimaru Gin nearly leap to his death.

There is no denying the way his heart stopped beating at the sight of that.

“Kira!” Shuhei yells at his back. “You’re going to get in trouble if you do this. He’s fine!”

For the first time in all of the years they have worked together, Kira ignores him. He has always trusted Shuhei’s advice when it is freely given, but now… Not so much.

Since the day he began working at the palace, Kira never knew Gin existed. Word spread after the demon invasion that Gin was kept locked away because his Majesty wanted it to be so. All he knows is that Gin has bothered him and demanded his attention since the first time the two of them met each other, and now Kira is worried about him.

 _Who was that man he was chasing out of the window?_ He wonders. _Why would he do that?_

Seeing demons in the palace walls is still a jarring experience, as is being caught around the upper arm by one of them. It is the small demon he has seen before, the one whose back blooms into tentacles only when he wants them to. Today, luckily, there are none. “Ne, ne, where are you going in such a hurry? You aren’t supposed to be in here.”

“My apologies, Sir.” Kira bows quickly at the waist, almost bumping his head into the demon’s in his rush to apologize. “I just saw Ichimaru Gin almost fall out of one of the windows and I wanted to check to make sure that he was okay.”

The demon catches him by the chin and tilts his head up, and his smile is… Predatory and uncomfortable. “How precious. You’re worried about little kitsune-chan? I suppose we could probably go find him and make sure he’s all right. Come with me, please.”

Though the demon looks smaller and more innocent than most, Kira heard that he fought Jugram Haschwalth directly and defeated him without much fanfare.

He watches curiously as the demon touches the wall, his fingers glowing faintly before he perks up. “Found him! He’s downstairs with Szayel, locked up in that musty old lab of his. Ne, Kira, have you been down there? It’s interesting until you see how boring it is.”

“I haven’t, Sir, no.” Kira does not think he has ever been so nervous around someone in his entire life. The cutesy voice and the big lavender eyes are too deceiving.

The demon tuts at him. “Don’t call me Sir, call me Luppi. It’s my name. Come on, now. Let’s not wait too long or Gin will move and I’ll have to go hunting him all over again.”

“You can track each other through touching the wall?” Kira asks curiously, hurrying to catch up with Luppi. Despite his short legs, his stride is remarkably fast.

“Some of us can, some of us can’t. Nnoitra taught me how to do it. It’s such a big place that trying to find each other is harder than I’m used to.” Luppi hums to himself as he walks, his overly long sleeves billowing slightly as he swings his arms. Then he turns, walking backwards so he can look up at Kira at the same time. “I didn’t realize you cared about Gin’s safety at all. I thought he just bullied you for being small and weak.”

Kira winces. Even _he_ doesn’t understand his fascination with the beautiful kitsune who haunts their queen like a living shadow. “I just… I don’t know. I suppose I’m just worried that he might have been injured. I think he floated back into the window?”

“Sounds like Nianzol’s influence. He’s a kamaitachi. They control the air.” Luppi whistles and then giggles, and Kira smiles faintly, though it’s slightly strained.

He’s glad that Haschwalth is still allowed to command them directly. Demons unnerve him.

“What are your powers, then?” Kira asks, trying to fill the silence before it becomes heavy and oppressive. Not that he _wants_ to talk, but he feels obligated to.

Luppi smiles at him, and Kira feels that sinking horror low in his gut when Luppi’s tentacles slowly unfurl from his back, spreading out in the air around him before they slink out of sight once more. “That’s really all I can do. I’m not much good with magic.”

“It’s an impressive talent. I’m sure it’s much better in a fight to have extra limbs,” Kira says. “It’s not like I could do anything like that. So it’s… A useful power.”

“I suppose so. Doesn’t make me a very good fighter among my own kind, but against humans?” Luppi smiles devilishly at him, then twirls around on his toes. “I’m unstoppable.”

He is terrifying, Kira decides. Friendly, but that might actually make him worse.

When they start down toward the dungeon, Kira feels a thrill of terror up his spine. _This is it,_ he thinks. _He’s taking me down here to murder me and no one will ever know._

“It took a really long time to clean out the dungeon, but Mugetsu says that imprisonment is useless. No one ever learns a lesson if you lock them up in a cage for a few years.” Luppi looks back at him, and Kira thinks he eyes glitter malevolently. “Those who never learn die.”

Right. Of course. Kira was there for the _funeral pyre_ of his Majesty and his men.

The dungeon… Is no longer the dungeon. The room is filled with artificial white light and several beds lining one wall, and there are machines of every size and shape that Kira cannot even begin to guess what all of them are for. He blinks in the bright lightning and realizes the rose-haired demon he encountered on the night of the invasion is here, bustling around and chatting with… Giselle? The palace healer. What the hell?

“His vitals seem stable but you know, his mind.” Szayel— that was what Luppi called him, at least— taps the side of his head and Giselle nods in understanding. “Gin pulled his shoulder out of socket catching him, his mouth is a mess, there are some other wounds—”

“I did not _intend_ to pull his shoulder out of socket.” The sound of that voice makes Kira’s heart feel several times lighter, and his shoulders loosen as the tension leaves his body.

Luppi skips over to the bed where Gin is sitting with his legs folded beneath him, miraculously in one piece. “Hi, Gin. You have a visitor who came to check up on you.”

“Hmm?” Gin tilts his head until his eyes land on Kira, then stops. Kira feels frozen in place; Szayel and Giselle turn to look at him as well, as does the other demon sitting on another bed. _Shit. I should not have come here._ “Oh, hi, Izuru. You see my little tumble, did you?”

“Ah, yes.” Kira wants to melt into the floor and sink through the cracks in the tiles, soak into the foundation. He wants to run up the staircase and throw himself out a window.

Gin props his chin in the palm of his hand and uses the other to beckon Kira closer. “Well, come on over, then. You can’t be really sure that I’m all right until you get a close up look at me. Risky, you, coming into the palace when you’re supposed to be on duty.”

Kira flushes hot and walks over to him, shoving his hands behind his back so that his wandering mind doesn’t get any ideas as he comes to stand on the side of the bed Luppi is not sitting on. Despite his hair and fur looking ruffled, Gin looks entirely fine. Kira was worried for no reason as if something could ever hurt someone as strong as Gin.

“I’m sorry for worrying,” he says, his voice pitched low, and Gin cocks his head at him, his ears twitching faintly. “I saw you almost fall out of the window and I was concerned.”

Gin cocks a thumb over his shoulder to where a man is asleep on one of the beds. “We just had someone try to jump out and I couldn’t very well let him do that. Nianzol didn’t let nothing happen to me, though, so you have nothing to worry about, little human.”

“Of course not,” Kira says. He feels like a fool. Gin is probably mentally laughing at him.

He jumps when Gin reaches for him, but that doesn’t deter the fox, who just yanks him closer and moves so that he’s kneeling on the mattress, putting him at an eye-level with Kira. “It’s very sweet of you to concern yourself with my safety. And to think all this time I thought you were just afraid of me. And it turns out you’re afraid _for_ me, too.”

“You’re scary, Gin-chan,” Luppi complains, and Gin smacks at him with a tail that Luppi catches, petting the soft fur down into a smoother texture. “Not all of us are into that.”

Kira’s face is hot this close to Gin, close enough that he can see the bright clear blue of Gin’s eyes when he blinks at him. “Well, since you’re fine, I should be on my way.”

“You don’t have to rush off now that you’re here. I’ll tell Mugetsu to leave you alone if he’s truly bothered enough to care, but I doubt he’ll care about anything but Sosuke for a long while.” Gin reaches up to touch his face, and Kira just stops breathing altogether.

He _is_ afraid of Gin. There is no room for doubt where that is concerned. As beautiful as the kitsune is, as elegant and graceful and lovely, Kira is terrified of him and his power. He is afraid of everything Gin stands for, and being this close to him makes him want to curl up in a ball somewhere and hide where Gin will not be able to find him. And that fear… Is thrilling. It’s _sublime,_ and Kira has a problem. He needs serious help.

Gin’s nails drag lightly over his skin as he pets down the side of Kira’s face. “How sweet of you to worry about me like that. And to come check on me, risking getting in trouble.”

“A lamb walking right into a den of lions,” Luppi agrees, and Kira’s face burns hotter.

When Gin leans closer to him, his brain short circuits. Gin is so _pretty._ It was the first thought Kira had when he saw him. The features sharp enough to cut, the pale blue eyes like the spring sky, the luxurious silver fur of his tails and his impossibly cute ears that Kira just wants to pet so gently. But he knows what Gin is. Kitsune are dangerous.

Gin’s lips whisper against his cheek before pressing down against the hot skin there, and Kira squeaks faintly. “Thank you for watching over me, Izuru, but it won’t do you any favors. If I were you, I’d stay as far away from me as possible.”

“That’s probably the smart thing to do,” Kira agrees, and his voice sounds distant to his own ears. Like it belongs to someone else. And he sees Gin’s ears droop slightly, and his stupid mouth decides to make more words for him. “But I’m not very smart, Gin-san.”

This time, Gin’s ears perk up all the way. _Oh no, he’s so cute._ “Well, then. Get up the courage to come find me when you aren’t on duty some time, and maybe we’ll talk.”

“Are you quite done?” Szayel snaps, and Kira jolts at the sound of his voice. He’d forgotten there were other people in the room. “This is my lab, not your… _Bedroom,_ Ichimaru. If you’re going to seduce a human, go do it somewhere else. Now, as for this man—”

Gin’s tails flick in annoyance. “I was _not,_ ” he protests, and Kira slips away from him.

While the demons argue, he picks his way up the staircase to the hall and finds his way back outside to where his cluster of a squad are waiting. Hisagi Shuhei huffs and claps him on the shoulder, dragging him back to the section of the wall under their surveillance at the moment. They have another few hours before they leave their shift.

“You could have gotten killed going off like that,” he says, and Kira nods because yes, he could have. “Well, did you get your answer? Is the fox demon still alive and unharmed?”

“He is,” Kira says, voice low and faint, and Shuhei rolls his eyes at him.

The day is a warm one and has been a long one. The explosion of glass, the suffusion of power so strong Kira thought it would kill him and then it was gone, Ichimaru Gin seeming to dive out of a window after a man— Kira still doesn’t know _why_ that really happened— but Gin is fine. Gin is fine, and he told Kira to come find him one day when he was brave enough.

 _Why not today?_ Kira asks himself. _He kissed me on the cheek. He could have gotten hurt. Am I just supposed to wait around until I no longer have a chance to see him?_

Only a fool would do something like that. Kira is _not_ a fool. At least, not _that_ much of one.

“You’ve got a dangerous look on your face,” Shuhei says, and Kira raises an eyebrow at him. “You suddenly look very determined. What are you thinking about doing, Zuru?”

Kira smiles at him and shrugs a shoulder, then glances back toward the ground once more. From here, he can see some of their soldiers training. “I’m going to go visit a kitsune spirit this evening and test my luck, I think. See if he’s half as deceptive as the legends say.”

His squad groans but Kira laughs it off and shakes his head, and the ache in his back from how hard he hit the floor under the influence of that sudden power wears off after an hour or so. As the end of his shift nears, he finds himself antsy and excited to wash up after work and perhaps see if he can find Gin in this labyrinth of a palace. And once he finds him, perhaps he will be brave enough to see just what Gin wants with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me using emojis as dividers: well this looks dumb but i'm committed to the aesthetic
> 
> also fwiw we're going to be pov hopping for a few chapters before we come back to sosuke


End file.
